Out With Old, In With New? PFF Suggests Packers Do Opposite in Free Agency

The Green Bay Packers enter the offseason with significant questions at defensive end. This player could be a solution.

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) sacks Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) for a safety. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The trade for Micah Parsons was supposed to solve the Green Bay Packers’ questions at defensive end. Instead, the old questions have been replaced by new ones.

With Parsons expected to miss the start of the season with his torn ACL and Rashan Gary disappearing for the entire second half of the season, the Packers will enter the offseason with what can charitably be called an unsettled depth chart.

Pro Football Focus published a story with one free agent every team should pursue. Bradley Locker suggested the Packers sign Los Angeles Chargers standout Khalil Mack.

“Green Bay will need to boost an edge rushing room that owned the 21st-ranked PFF pass-rush grade after its superstar got hurt,” Locker wrote. “Whether or not Mack returns for another season is still up in the air, but his productivity isn’t in question.”

No, it’s not.

Mack, who will turn 35 on Feb. 22, is that rare player who continues to lead the race against Father Time. In 12 games (11 starts) in a season interrupted by an elbow injury, Mack had 5.5 sacks, six tackles for losses and four forced fumbles. Only Mack’s former teammate, the Bills’ Joey Bosa, had more forced fumbles than Mack in 2025. In fact, Mack had as many forced fumbles as the entire Green Bay defensive line.  

Mack ranks seventh among active players with 113 sacks, but he’s more than just a pass rusher. He’s always been a big, strong run defender.

Questions Galore for Packers

While Mack is still going strong, the 28-year-old Gary appeared to slam into a wall. After recording two sacks against Pittsburgh in the seventh game of the season, Gary led the NFL with 7.5 sacks. He didn’t record another sack or tackle for loss the rest of the season, a streak of 10 games.

Gary in 2026 is due a base salary of $18.0 million. His salary-cap charge, which will rise in 2026 to a bit more than $28.0 million, is scheduled to rank seventh among edge defenders. The contract is so big, and Gary’s production so small, that he’s practically untradeable. Releasing him would save almost $11.0 million against the cap.

That’s not the only issue Green Bay will face. Kingsley Enagbare, who by snaps became the team’s No. 1 defensive end down the stretch, will be an unrestricted free agent. Plus, backups Brenton Cox and Arron Mosby will be restricted free agents.

Given all those realities, this could be Green Bay’s defensive end depth chart for Week 1:

Starters: Lukas Van Ness, Barryn Sorrell.

Backups: Collin Oliver, Brenton Cox.

Combined, those players had four sacks last season. Van Ness, a first-round pick in 2023, had 1.5 sacks in nine games. Sorrell, a fourth-round rookie, had 1.5 sacks. Cox, who had four sacks down the stretch in 2024, had one sack in five games. Oliver, a fifth-round rookie, had zero sacks in one game.

So, the play for a veteran defensive end in the mold of Mack makes sense, especially because he’s still got some juice.

According to PFF, 110 edge defenders had at least 151 pass-rushing opportunities. (Van Ness had 151). In terms of pass-rush win rate, Mack was 34th at 14.1 percent. For Green Bay, Parsons was fourth at 22.6 percent, Van Ness was 28th at 14.9 percent, Gary was 56th at 11.3 percent and Enagbare was 75th at 10.1 percent. Falling short of the threshold, Cox’s win rate was 6.8 percent, Sorrell’s was 5.2 percent and Oliver’s was 0.0 percent.

Khalil Mack Weighing Future

Mack just completed his 12th season. At this point, he’s in year-to-year mode.

“Not trying to make that decision right now like I've almost done before,” he said at the end of the season. “Trying to stay as present as possible, stay prayed up, make a decision based on how I'm feeling and how my family is feeling, the vibes. …

“If the vibes are high, the decisions will be made. Just figuring it out day by day."

Mack has never won a playoff game. In six career postseason games, he has three sacks and seven tackles for losses. That asterisk on his career would weigh on him, he said.

“Yeah, just cause I'm naturally a competitor. It's in me since I was a kid,” Mack said. "I grew up with my two other brothers and that's all I know, competition. Competing and trying to be the best. You want to ultimately be a champion.”

ESPN.com’s Matt Bowen listed seven edge defenders as part of his list of the top 50 free agents. Mack is No. 22 on the list. Pro Football Focus listed 16 edge defenders as part of its list of the top 100 free agents.

“He will need to be used more as a situational rusher at this stage of his career, but he is still a powerful defender who can create impact plays off the edge,” Bowen wrote.

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