Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary has agreed to a four-year contract extension, bringing a bit of good news to a team that has lost four straight games.
Gary announced the four-year, $107 million extension that included a $34.6 million signing bonus on social media. The Packers announced the extension later Monday without revealing terms.
A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Gary can earn $107 million through the end of a deal that now runs through 2027 because he’s receiving about $96 million in new money to go along with his 2023 salary of $10.8 million. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced the terms.
“Man, it just makes me hungrier,” Gary told reporters Monday. “The organization that believed in me, trusted me and sees my growth from when I came in and sees the man that I’m still becoming and the player that I’m working to become and still on the rise to become, for them to see that and bless me, man, I’m in awe, bro.”
This deal gives the slumping Packers (2-5) a long-term commitment from one of their top overall players. Gary was eligible to become a free agent after the season if he hadn’t agreed to an extension.
Gary said he signed the extension Sunday.
“To be honest, it really hasn’t hit me yet,” Gary said. “I signed. It was a wonderful moment. It was great for me. I was able to have my mom and sister in town, and we call ourselves ‘The Three Musketeers.’ For me to sign a contract like that, meaning that much, with my loved ones, my base, words can’t really describe the feeling.”
Gary, who turns 26 on Dec. 3, has a team-high 4½ sacks even though he was playing limited snaps early in the season as he worked his way back from a torn ACL. He only started playing more than half of the Packers’ defensive plays in their past two games, a 19-17 loss at Denver and a 24-10 home defeat against the Minnesota Vikings.
He had 9½ sacks in 2021 and had six more last season despite playing just nine games before his season-ending ACL injury.
“It’s great to get that taken care of,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “Obviously, it’s well deserved and he’s earned everything. And like I told the team, I’m a big believer in people that approach it the right way, that are talented that come to work with mindset and determination that he possesses. He’s a tone setter. So, I’m really happy for him, I’m happy for our organization. I think it’s good to kind of put that to bed.”
Gary has spent his entire career with the Packers, who selected him out of Michigan with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 draft.
“Rashan has been an impact player and person for us since he joined the Packers,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said in a statement. “His work ethic is unmatched and he has developed into a team leader and cornerstone of our team. We are very pleased that he will remain in Green Bay for years to come.”
TOP PHOTO: FILE – Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley (2) looks for a receiver as he is chased by Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)