Cowboys just made the Rashan Gary trade look brilliant with one move

It's been a busy week for the Dallas Cowboys on the trade front, as they've sent Osa Odighizuwa to the San Francisco 49ers and acquired Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers.

The hope is that the Odighizuwa trade is the precursor to a bigger move. While Gary has been a borderline Pro Bowler throughout his career, it would be underwhelming if he's the only addition Dallas makes to the defensive line before next month's draft.

That notwithstanding, the Gary trade was not perceived well by both fans and the general media, and understandably so. Giving up a 2027 fourth-round pick for an expensive player who may have gotten released can only be described as a head-scratching decision.

However, it was inevitable that the Cowboys would rework Gary's contract. That happened on Thursday, and it completely alters the perception of the trade.

According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Gary and Dallas renegotiated a two-year, $32 million contract that includes $16 million guaranteed, dropping his cap hit from $19.5 million to $5.4 million in 2026.

Rashan Gary's new Dallas Cowboys contract changes the perception of the trade

Note: Per Archer, Gary's contract has four void years, not six.

It was easy to jump on the Cowboys for trading a player who was rumored to be a cap casualty. Sending a late Day 3 pick to ensure Gary never reached the market would have been a calculated play, but giving up a fourth-rounder felt like a clear overpay.

However, Dallas accepted the trade knowing it was going to adjust Gary's contract. Anything less would have been franchise malpractice.

In doing so, the Cowboys saved $14.1 million in cap space this season, which will only fuel suspicions that trading Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas were procedural.

Gary signed a four-year, $96 million extension with the Packers in August of 2023, giving him an annual average value of $24 million. It included $34.646 million guaranteed. He was the 15th-highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL before the trade, according to OverTheCap.

At two years and $32 million, Gary's $16 million average annual value makes him the 27th-highest-paid player at the position, per OTC. He is now making less per year than Alex Highsmith and Chase Young, and the same as Kwity Paye (!) and Dayo Odeyingbo (!).

That is tremendous value for a player who, over the last three seasons, has produced 161 pressures, 23 sacks, 77 defensive stops, 57 quarterback hits, and a 74.5 run-defense grade.

Trades will always be reviewed in the spur of the moment, but it never made sense to judge the Gary deal until the Cowboys toyed with his contract.

Now that they have, it looks pretty darn good.