The Dallas Cowboys are closing in on a splashy move to juice their pass rush, finalizing a trade for Pro Bowl defensive end Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers, multiple league insiders reported Monday. Dallas is expected to ship a 2027 fourth-round draft pick to Green Bay, with the deal set to be processed once the new league year opens, the latest front-office swing as the Cowboys retool their pressure packages after last season's roster churn.
Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport discussed the pending swap Monday on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football." ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Cowboys will send a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Packers, according to ESPN. The Cowboys' official site added that the teams are "finalizing" the deal and that it cannot become official until the new league year begins on Wednesday, March 11 at 3:00 p.m. CT, according to DallasCowboys.com.
What The Cowboys Are Getting
Gary was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2019 draft out of Michigan and earned his first Pro Bowl nod in 2024. He has about 46.5 career sacks along with a consistent record of pressure and run-stopping production, per Pro-Football-Reference and the Packers' team profile. At 28, he gives Dallas a versatile edge rusher who can slide inside on obvious running downs and still threaten the quarterback from multiple alignments.
Cap And Contract
Gary signed a four-year, roughly $96 million extension in October 2023 and remains under contract through the 2027 season, according to contract trackers. OverTheCap and Spotrac list his 2026 base salary at about $18 million and show a 2026 cap charge near $19.5 million, numbers that help explain why Green Bay explored moving him, according to Over The Cap and Spotrac.
Why Green Bay Made The Move
The trade gives the Packers immediate roster flexibility and a draft asset in exchange for a player whose cap charges were set to loom large over the next two seasons. That combination of cap relief plus a Day 3 pick was highlighted as a central reason Green Bay agreed to the deal, according to an Associated Press report in The Washington Post.
What This Means For Dallas
For the Cowboys, Gary's arrival drops a battle-tested piece into a pass-rush group that was reconfigured last season after Micah Parsons' trade to Green Bay. The move reunites Gary with former Packers teammates and staff connections now in the Dallas locker room and gives defensive coaches another proven gap-fighter to roll through their front, per reporting in The Dallas Morning News.
The teams still must finalize the paperwork when the league's new year and signing window open on Wednesday, March 11; until then the agreement remains subject to processing, league rules and final verification. Expect Dallas to announce further roster moves as free agency opens and clubs reshuffle their depth charts, with analysts already weighing how Gary's skill set fits the Cowboys' scheme, according to CBS Sports.
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