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# Could Seahawks Court Soon-To-Be Free Agent Rashan Gary?
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-court-rashan-gary-free-agent-cap-casualty/
- Published: 2026-03-06T20:55:18.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:15:46.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Analysis, Seahawks, Rashan Gary, Boye Mafe, NFL Free Agency

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1987"\]

![  Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary (52) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first quarter of their game Sunday, November 14, 2021 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-0.  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_17167652-format-original-1.jpg)

Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary (52) sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during the first quarter of their game Sunday, November 14, 2021 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-0\. \[/caption\]

Days before the excitement of free agency starts with the ushering of a new league year and teams throwing around Monopoly money, there’s a somber reality for many NFL players who find themselves on the other side of the business coin.

In order for teams to be able to make those signings of fancy new toys off the free agent scrap heap, they need cap space. To make it happen, it becomes pink slip season in early March as many veterans receive their walking papers, jettisoned as a necessary means to flip financial assets elsewhere.

Amid that madness, sometimes, players can jump the gun looking to get a head start in pursuit of their next employment opportunity. And it appears that was the case for Packers defensive end Rashan Gary, who announced his departure from the team on Instagram on Friday morning before quickly deleting the post with numerous reporters indicating that his account had been hacked and that he had not been released by Green Bay at this time.

Such a mishap - whether Gary’s account had truly been hacked or not - takes away what little leverage the Packers may have had trying to trade the former first round pick out of Michigan. With cap hits north of $28 million for each of the next two seasons, while he has posted solid statistics since signing a four-year extension in October 2023, his contract remains an untradeable asset that other teams likely won’t be giving up draft compensation to acquire and put on their books.

But as is often the case in these situations, assuming Green Bay has to eat a $25.5 million dead cap hit when he eventually does get released before free agency opens next week, Gary will instantly become much more coveted on the open market. With the Packers footing most of the bill, his new team will be able to sign the 28-year-old for pennies on the dollar, suddenly making him quite valuable after previously possessing a bloated albatross of a contract.

Among the teams that should be expected to make a run at Gary under those circumstances, having already taken major looks at the trade market with interest in improving their edge rush group, the Seahawks would be an intriguing fit for the veteran defensive lineman for numerous reasons.

For one, Gary has several connections to Seattle’s current coaching staff, including a quite unique one with outside linebackers coach Chris Partridge. He played his junior year at Paramus Catholic High School for Partridge, who coached his fifth and final season at the school that year before going to Michigan as a director of player personnel and becoming linebackers coach one year later, and he eventually followed the coach to Ann Arbor after choosing the Wolverines over several other interested blue blood programs.

Once Gary joined the Packers, he played for a staff that included inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti, who held that same role the previous two seasons for the Seahawks. Olivadotti will remain on Mike Macdonald’s staff in 2026, though it remains to be seen what role he will occupy with Zachary Orr coming on board as the new inside linebackers coach, giving the team two coaches who have previously had relationships with Gary.

Secondly, Gary checks off a major box that Macdonald covets from defensive linemen in the versatility department to play in his scheme. At 277 pounds, while he has played most of his snaps with the Packers outside of the tackle as an edge, he has the ability to slide inside on pass rushing downs as a traditional defensive end or 3-tech defensive tackle and has occasionally rushed the passer reduced inside from a two-point stance like a linebacker, creating flexibility for usage in different personnel groupings and on stunt calls.

Most importantly, Gary has been a beacon of consistency, at least production wise, in seven NFL seasons. Per Pro Football Focus, he has generated at least 46 pressures in four of the previous six seasons and hit at least 7.5 sacks in four of the past five seasons, including reaching that number to go along with 20 quarterback hits in 2025\. He also has been a consistently solid run defender, receiving at least a 70.0 grade from PFF in four of the past five seasons.

Comparatively, pending Seahawks free agent Boye Mafe - who is only one year younger than Gary - hasn’t offered near the consistency, with his nine sack season in 2023 now looking to be an outlier after failing to reach that total in the past two seasons combined and only recording four quarterback hits in 17 games last year.

Now set to become a cap casualty, Gary doesn’t come without his flaws or potential red flags. He suffered a torn ACL during the 2022 season and has a propensity for leaving tackles on the field, evidenced by his 12% or higher missed tackle rate in three of the past four seasons, which has impacted his sack production throughout his career. He also didn’t end his time in Green Bay on a good note, as he failed to register a single sack after Week 9 this past season, failing to deliver after Micah Parsons was lost to a season-ending knee injury when the team needed him to step up.

With that said, Gary has been outstanding in the postseason throughout his career, tending to step up under the brightest lights. In nine career playoff games, he has amassed 4.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and five tackles for loss to go with 28 quarterback pressures, which puts another feather in his cap for prospective teams. Coming off a Super Bowl win, adding his presence to the mix would give the Seahawks another quality battle tested starter off the edge to team up with Demarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derrick Hall who should still be in the prime of his career without having to open up the checkbook to acquire his services.

Of course, Gary needs to become a free agent first, but even if Friday served as a false start in that regard, all signs point to the Packers moving on from him in the next few days. Once he hits the market, don’t be surprised at all if he’s on the Seahawks’ radar due to his scheme fit, coaching connections, track record of production, and team-friendly price point.