Rashan Gary Trade Grades: Cowboys Bolster Lackluster Defense

Dallas and Green Bay are at it again, with the Cowboys adding a quality pass rusher to a front in need of one.

The Packers sent Rashan Gary to Dallas in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Trade grades: Maxx Crosby | Zaire Franklin | Garrett Bradbury | DJ Moore | David Montgomery | Tytus Howard

The pipeline of edge rushers going between the Packers and Cowboys continues. 

One year after the NFL world was stunned by Micah Parsons being traded to the Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, the two teams were back at it on Monday morning. Green Bay agreed to send Rashan Gary to Dallas for a 2027 fourth-round pick. The trade will be official at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the start of the new league year. 

A good move for the Packers

For Green Bay, it’s a win to get anything. By trading him to Dallas, the Packers saved $10.98 million in cap space. A 2019 first-round pick, Gary was a good player in Titletown but never became the star so many thought he would be. In seven years with the Packers, Gary amassed 46.5 sacks and a single Pro Bowl appearance in ’24.

Moving forward, Green Bay has Parsons, who is coming off a torn ACL sustained last December against the Broncos, and a first-round talent in Lukas Van Ness. Van Ness has never lived up to his draft stock, recording 8.5 sacks across his first three seasons. With Parsons potentially missing the start of 2026 and Gary now in another zip code, Van Ness is needed more than ever. 

Packers grade: B-

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Gary has never had double-digit sacks

As for the Cowboys, Gary will be joining a revamped front that includes defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Dallas is likely still looking for significant additions on the defense at all levels, considering it finished 30th in yards and 32nd in points allowed a year ago. 

Gary coming in should help, but he’s also a good-not-great player. He has never had a season with double-digit sacks, and at 28 years old, there’s little reason to think his best football is ahead of him. However, he also hasn’t played at least 70% of the defensive snaps in a given year since 2022, so if the Cowboys utilize him more often, perhaps his stats rise a bit. 

Financially, Dallas takes on base salaries of $18 million and $21 million, respectively, over the next two seasons, with none of the money being guaranteed. Gary is essentially on a pair of one-year deals, unless the Cowboys extend or restructure the deal to give them some flexibility. 

The bottom line: Green Bay got a little something for a player who was about to leave for nothing, and Dallas added a quality pass rusher to a front in desperate need of one. 

Cowboys grade: B

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