Rashan Gary joins the Dallas Cowboys after a chaotic week that included a social media hack and a trade from Green Bay.
The Dallas Cowboys’ acquisition of Pro Bowl pass rusher Rashan Gary didn’t just come out of nowhere; it arrived after one of the strangest weeks of the veteran defender’s NFL career.
Just days earlier, Gary was still a cornerstone of the Green Bay Packers defense, the franchise that drafted him 12th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Then everything unraveled in a matter of days. A mysterious social media post appeared that looked like a farewell message to Packers fans. Gary quickly realized something wasn’t right.
“Yeah, just the whole experience, it was crazy,” Gary said. “I'm the type of guy that I pride myself on just going to work and keeping my head down, but everybody has social media in the offseason.”
The post turned out to be the result of a social media hack, but the chaos surrounding it unexpectedly foreshadowed what was coming next. Rumors began swirling about a possible trade.
“Then, that weird thing happened. Got hacked. It kind of made the rumors that people were saying come to light,” Gary explained.
Despite the noise, Gary believed he was staying in Green Bay.
“Deep down inside, I'm still talking to my teammates, still talking to my coaches about next season and still believing that I'm playing for the Packers,” he said.
Then his phone rang.
“All of a sudden I get a call from my agent, and he said a deal was done.”
The Packers shipped Gary to Dallas in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick, immediately giving the Cowboys a proven pass rusher to help fix a defense that struggled in 2025.
Gary now steps into the role previously occupied by Micah Parsons, who was traded to Green Bay just before the beginning of last season. The irony of the swap isn’t lost on observers, but Gary sees it differently.
“At the end of the day, it's a business, so I don't look at it as trading places or things like that. I'm just coming here to be me and be the impact that the Cowboys need.”
Gary’s mission is simple ... revive a Cowboys defense that finished near the bottom of the league. Dallas recorded just 35 sacks last season and allowed 30.1 points per game, one of the worst defensive performances in franchise history.
For Gary, the focus isn’t just stats, it’s winning.
“The main thing for me is to come in, play good ball and play good ball to the point that we're playing meaningful games,” Gary said. “Then playing for some trophies and playing for some hats and T-shirts.”