The Dallas Cowboys wanted an edge rusher to strengthen their defense heading into the 2026 season. At the same time, the front office was also looking for salary cap flexibility in the coming years. They addressed the first need by trading for Rashan Gary. For the second, they asked Gary to take a pay cut. And to his credit, the edge rusher agreed.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Gary has agreed to reduce his salary by roughly $10 million over the next two seasons. For context, Gary had previously signed a four-year contract extension with the Green Bay Packers.

Dallas acquired him this offseason in a trade that sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to Green Bay. At the time of the deal, Gary still had two years remaining on his contract. Under that agreement, he was scheduled to earn $19.5 million in 2026 and $22.5 million in 2027, with none of that money guaranteed.

Following the trade, however, Gary agreed to restructure the deal. Per Pelissero, the 28-year-old will now earn $16 million in 2026 instead of $19.5 million and another $16 million in 2027 rather than $22.5 million, accounting for a $10 million pay cut for the next two seasons.

The Cowboys also adjusted the structure of the contract by including the option to add void years. As a result, Gary’s salary cap hit will be just $5.44 million for the 2026 season and $8.24 million in 2027.

At the same time, Gary is gaining something he did not previously have in the deal. The new contract includes a $13.2 million signing bonus, which provides guaranteed money that was not part of his original agreement.

Now that the trade and the revised contract structure are finalized, Gary has made his intentions clear as he prepares for his first season with the Cowboys.

Rashan Gary is looking forward to playing meaningful games in Dallas

The Cowboys made one of their biggest moves this offseason when they traded for Rashan Gary. And to Gary’s credit, the 28-year-old still views himself as an elite player despite the tension that surrounded his final season with the Packers.

“I’m just bringing a dawg,” Gary told reporters. “I’m coming in to be myself, to lead by example and to help the team the best way I can, to be dominant and do what I got to do to get the star to the Super Bowl. That’s all we want.”

Gary had been one of the defensive cornerstones in Green Bay ever since the Packers selected him with the 12th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. During that stretch, he managed to record at least five sacks in the past six seasons with the team since his rookie year.

The 2025 season, however, brought a different storyline. Reports suggested that the year created tension between Gary and the Packers. Much of that frustration stemmed from the perception that his production no longer matched the size of his contract.

Gary actually began the season in strong form. Through the first seven games, he recorded 7.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and seven tackles for loss. But the production slowed down dramatically in the second half of the year.

He did not record a single sack over the final 10 games of the season, including the playoffs. Now in Dallas, Gary is looking at the situation from a different perspective as he prepares for a new chapter.

“Football is football,” he added. “At that time, we were playing meaningful games. When you’re playing meaningful games, it really don’t come down to stats. It’s really about how you affect offenses and things like that. Just being able to lock in and being able to be effective. I know just staying locked in and playing how I need to play and being the player that I am, the plays are going to come my way.”

The Cowboys are entering the 2026 season after finishing with the worst defensive performance in the league during 2025. Gary now becomes part of that effort to rebuild the defense as Dallas looks to improve on that side of the ball and push back into Super Bowl contention.