While the cost for the Dallas Cowboys to get former 1st-round pick and edge rusher Rashan Gary in a trade with the Green Bay Packers wasn’t exorbitant — he only cost a 2027 4th-round pick — the cost to keep him is a little more prohibitive.
Even with Gary agreeing to a pretty significant pay cut, the Cowboys still wound up giving him a 2-year, $32 million restructured contract — big money for a team not even willing to pay up for a generational edge rusher in Micah Parsons last summer.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport thinks if the Gary trade doesn’t pay off, it could represent a “worst-case scenario” for the Cowboys and pull apart their best-laid plans to turn around a unit that finished 30th out of 32 NFL teams in total defense in 2025.
Not only did the Cowboys trade for Gary, but they also added defensive players with both of their 2026 1st-round picks in safety Caleb Downs (No. 11 overall) and edge rusher Malachi Lawrence (No. 23 overall).
“There are no guarantees in the NFL,” Davenport wrote on June 29. “Gary hasn’t had eight sacks in a season since 2023. Dee Winters barely topped 100 tackles in 2025. Micah Lawrence and Caleb Downs are immensely talented, but they have yet to play a snap in the NFL. And there are still questions at the cornerback position. The Cowboys are counting on drastic improvement defensively. If the team doesn’t get it, all that offseason moving and shaking will be regarded as a disappointment.”
Gary, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, has $81.74 million in career earnings headed into 2026 — if he can make it work with the Cowboys for 2 seasons, that number jumps up to approximately $113.7 million.
Cowboys, Rashan Gary Smart to Rework Contract
In a move that will benefit the Cowboys in the immediate future and, possibly, Gary in the long run, the restructured contract essentially turns into a $10 million pay cut for Gary, who was due $42 million on his previous deal — a 4-year, $96 million contract extension signed in October 2023.
“New Cowboys edge Rashan Gary agreed to a pay cut as part of the trade from Green Bay, dropping his compensation to $16 million each of the next two seasons,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on his official X account on March 16. “Dallas also added an option and void years, lowering Gary’s cap number to $5.44M this season and $8.24M in 2027. Gary had been due $19.5 million this season and $22.5M in 2027, with no guaranteed money. Most of his 2026 compensation is now guaranteed, including a $13.2M signing bonus.”
After failing to acquire NFL All-Pro Maxx Crosby in a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cowboys cut the deal for Gary just hours before the start of NFL free agency on March 9.
Rashan Gary Could Still Have Elite Upside
Gary, 6-foot-5 and 277 pounds, was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft and earned his lone Pro Bowl selection in 2024. He’s had at least 7.5 sacks each of the last 3 seasons.
“This is a big piece,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on March 9. “… the Green Bay Packers and Cowboys were in talks the last 24 hours, figuring out the right price for the Cowboys to get a big-time pass rusher. He certainly didn’t play up to his capabilities last year. The Cowboys continue to buy low ahead of free agency, just like they did last year. They’ve been in the edge market trying to sign 1 … and I wouldn’t be surprised, actually, if they sign 2 edge rushers.”
Gary has struggled to live up to expectations after his $96 million deal — signed midway through a season in which he had a career-high 9.0 sacks.
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