MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 04: Head coach Matt Lafleur of the Green Bay Packers looks on during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
The NFL is barreling toward its version of spring cleaning, which officially starts on March 11, and few teams in the league tidy up like the Green Bay Packers.
Rather than “Out with the old and in with the new,” the theme for this offseason in Titletown may well end up being “Out with the old … and also out with the expensive.”
Green Bay’s pass-rush was supposed to become elite with the addition of Micah Parsons, who was himself fantastic in 14 appearances before tearing his ACL against the Denver Broncos in Week 15. But Rashan Gary, the defense’s premier pass-rusher before Parsons arrived, regressed instead of making a leap forward, even despite Parsons’ presence that drew more attention and difficult matchups off Gary than ever before.
The offensive line took a step back, which wasn’t exactly the fault of center Elgton Jenkins, but does leave him as the odd man out due to the size of his contract. He is carrying a $24.3 million cap hit in the final year of a $68 million deal and finished 25th out of 40 centers who saw enough snaps to qualify for a ranking last season, per Pro Football Focus. Jenkins is also now on the wrong side of 30.
Gary, 28, has two seasons remaining on his $96 million contract and represents a $28 million cap hit in 2026. PFF ranked him 52nd among 115 edge-rushers who qualified in 2025.
Combined, the two contracts total $164 million. The Packers can save $19.5 million and $22.5 million in the next two years, respectively, by ditching Gary with a post-June 1 designation and another $19.5 million in 2026 by cutting Jenkins.
Parting ways with both represents $39 million in cap savings next season alone if done at the appropriate times.
Elgton Jenkins Simpler, More Likely Cut Than Rashan Gary
GettyGreen Bay Packers center Elgton Jenkins.
Given the savings and the correlating downturns in production, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic dubbed Gary and Jenkins the two most likely cut candidates in Green Bay.
“Jenkins … is coming off a significant Week 10 injury that ended his season, which ESPN first reported to be a lower leg fracture,” Schneidman wrote on Monday, February 16. “He switched from left guard to center before the season and improved after a rough start.”
“Another cut candidate is defensive end Rashan Gary,” Schneidman continued. “Cutting him after he went missing in the second half of the season would free up about $11 million in cap space.”
Packers Have Incentive to Keep Rashan Gary as Trade Asset
GettyGreen Bay Packers edge-rusher Rashan Gary.
The $11 million figure is what the Packers can save by axing Gary ahead of free agency on March 11, which would allow for more immediate spending power. But Green Bay can get that spending power to the tune of $19.5 million by dumping Jenkins in the coming weeks, and hold off on Gary.
Jenkins is a two-time Pro Bowler but hasn’t earned those honors since 2022. Gary was a Pro Bowler in 2024, is a couple of years younger, has a less recent history of problematic health issues and plays a premium position.
Gary’s base salaries of $18 million and $21 million in the coming two years could render him tradable given the current supply/demand equation across the league at the edge-rusher position.
The Packers could potentially eat some of his salary totals over the next two years to make a trade viable and receive a mid-round draft asset back in return. Another path for Green Bay is to keep Gary on the roster and see if he can return to form once Parsons gets back from injury, then explore a deal from a stronger negotiating position ahead of the mid-season trade deadline.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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