The Chicago Bears need a pass-rusher to pair alongside Montez Sweat, but their options for acquiring one via the NFL draft or free agency aren’t ideal. However, there could be a trade with a division rival that fills a need for both sides.
Green Bay Packers edge-rusher Rashan Gary has two years remaining on his $96 million contract, which carries base salaries of $18 million and $21 million in the next two seasons, respectively. Gary hasn’t performed up to the level that deal in Green Bay, which is why Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report dubbed him the team’s top potential salary cap casualty heading into 2026.
“The huge deal came with the expectation that he would find another gear in his game and continue his ascent at the time,” Ballentine wrote. “Instead, Gary has just leveled out and the Packers made the aggressive move to add Micah Parsons. Gary had 7.5 sacks for the second consecutive season. That’s just not good enough for a player getting that kind of compensation. Finding a trade partner for Gary would be ideal.”
The Packers would carry Gary at a $28 million cap hit next season, but he would only cost the Bears $18 million against the cap (his base salary). Chicago’s cap hit for Gary in 2027 would be his base salary of $21 million, while he will cost Green Bay $31 million for the season.
Those figures are untenable for the Packers, but they will probably end up cheaper than any number Chicago will have to shell out for a top free agent at the position, such as Trey Hendrickson or Jaelan Phillips. Meanwhile, Gary’s deal only has two years remaining, where the Bears would likely need to sign a free agent to at least a three-year contract.
Rashan Gary Can Offer Bears Better Value, Less Risk Than Trey Hendrickson, Jaelan Phillips in Right Trade
GettyPass-rusher Rashan Gary of the Green Bay Packers.
Cutting or trading Gary with a post-June 1 designation clears $19.5 million in space for Green Bay in 2026 and $22.5 million the following year. Beyond that, his Pro Football Focus metrics indicate that Gary was essentially average at the position in 2025, finishing ranked No. 52 out of 115 edge defenders who saw enough snaps to qualify at the position.
The value that moving off Gary provides for the Packers should decrease his trade value to a mid-round pick that Chicago would send out in return — perhaps No. 129 in the fourth round or a combination of fifth-rounders in 2026 and 2027, which is similar to the trade packages involving NFC North teams and defensive end Za’Darius Smith over the past few years as he neared the end of his career.
Such a trade could make sense for the Bears given that Spotrac projects Hendrickson to sign a deal worth an annual average salary north of $25 million, while Phillips’ projection is $17 million per season over a three-year contract.
Gary, 28, has been considerably healthier and more productive than Phillips in recent years. Meanwhile, Hendrickson is three years older than Gary and missed 10 games with injury last season.
Hendickson has been an elite pass-rusher in recent seasons, while Gary has been average-to-good depending on the campaign. However, the stronger salary/contract length commitments Hendrickson can command, plus the significant age gap between he and Gary, arguably render Hendrickson the greater risk to Chicago under the current circumstances.
Rashan Gary Trade Equates to Short-Term Gamble for Bears With Acceptable Risk
GettyGreen Bay Packers edge-rusher Rashan Gary.
Chicago can look for an edge-rusher with the No. 25 pick in Round 1 this April, but the team might find more value drafting to fill other needs on the interior of the defensive line or at safety in that spot.
Gary, then, could serve as a stopgap solution with upside and a reasonable chance to bounce back with a more productive season in 2026 than he had the last two years. If he doesn’t, his contract would be potentially tradable and certainly cuttable heading into 2027, where as Hendrickson or Phillips would be more costly to part with after one poor campaign.
Trading mid-round value for Gary isn’t a surefire home run for the Bears, but it is a calculated gamble with acceptable risk to fill a major need on a short-term basis with a built-in out after 2026.
And considering the value the Bears can offer Green Bay via such a deal in terms of cap savings, plus a draft asset back for Gary, it might be a hard pitch for the Packers to turn down.
