Did Packers Release Rashan Gary? Story Takes Bizarre Twist

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Rashan Gary posted his release from the Green Bay Packers on Instagram on Friday.

“Like all chapters in life, this one has come to an end,” Gary said.

Packers edge Rashan Gary announced on IG that he is leaving Green Bay. pic.twitter.com/pMdNzeFr4z
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2026

“On to my next stop – nowhere near done yet,” he added.

The predictable news took a bizarre twist. Shortly after Gary allegedly posted the farewell graphic, a source said Gary’s Instagram had been hacked. The post was taken down and the password was changed, according to a source.

Rashan Gary's IG was hacked, according to a source.
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 6, 2026

Did the hacker also make the graphic? Does Gary have one at the ready under the expectation that he will be released?

Who knows?

What is certain as of midday Friday is Gary remains on the roster.

For how much longer that will be the case remains unknown.

Gary is under contract through the 2027 season under the four-year, $96 million extension he signed in October 2023. Gary in 2026 is owed a base salary of $18.0 million. Including $800,000 in per-game roster bonus and a $700,000 workout bonus, Gary is due $19.5 million in cash for the upcoming season.

The Packers, who are barely under the salary cap, could create almost $11.0 million in cap space by moving on from Gary. They’ll need to be considerably under the cap before the start of the league-year on Wednesday. That’s when free-agent signings can become official.

Gary led the NFL with 7.5 sacks after sacking Aaron Rodgers twice in Game 7 at Pittsburgh. He didn’t have another sack or tackle for loss the rest of the season. Even Collin Oliver, a rookie who made his NFL debut in Week 18, had a tackle for loss.

“I expect all these guys that are under contract to be back but we’re just getting started at looking at how we’re building out the team for next year,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said last month when asked about Gary.

“I thought he started out really, really strong. He obviously had a lot of production early. I think he ended up with 60-some pressures, 7.5 sacks. That’s pretty good production in the National Football League. I did think towards the end of the year, he wasn’t as productive as he was at the beginning. So, certainly, that will be something I’m sure he looks at personally and we look at as a team, how we can continue to make sure that his production is the same at the beginning and the end of the season.”

A first-round pick in 2019, Gary in seven seasons has never hit 10 sacks. He had 9.5 sacks in 16 games during a breakout 2021 season and had six sacks in the first nine games in 2022 before he suffered a torn ACL at Detroit.

Gary signed his big contract extension in 2023, when he returned from the injury to record nine sacks in 17 games (13 starts). He had 7.5 sacks in 2024 but made the Pro Bowl, anyway, due in part to his strong run defense.

The Packers traded for Micah Parsons before last season. With so many eyeballs on Parsons, Gary was unleashed. However, the 7.5 sacks he had in the first seven games were the same 7.5 sacks he had after 16 games. His run defense wasn’t as stout and his effort waned at times.

In the three full games without Parsons following the All-Pro’s torn ACL, Gary played 57.8 percent of the defensive snaps in Week 16 at Chicago, 44.7 percent in Week 17 against Baltimore and 56.4 in the playoff game at Chicago.

“I’ve just got to be myself,” Gary said a couple days after the loss to Denver in which Parsons was injured. “You know, when guys are thinking that they need to do more than what they've been doing, you start to strain, start to try to find plays that's not there. And throughout the season, I've been doing a great job of being effective, being myself.

“I know if I keep playing at a high level, keep playing how I'm playing, the plays are going to come and it's going to be right what the team needs.”

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