Packers' Rashan Gary not making any guesses on when he will return from torn ACL

Updated Jun. 14, 2023 8:18 p.m. ET

Associated Press

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary isn’t making any predictions regarding just when he might return after a torn anterior cruciate ligament ended his 2022 season.

“I’ll be ready when I’ll be ready,” Gary said Wednesday while talking to reporters for the first time since injuring his knee last November.

Don’t consider that a sign of concern. Gary says that comment simply reflects the approach he has taken toward his recovery from the first major injury of his career.

“One thing I told myself is throughout this process I’m taking it day by day,” Gary said. “I’m just making sure I’m squeezing the towel as much as I can every day, making sure I’m not leaving not one inch of doubt of if I pushed it to my all, so that’s all, man. Just going 100% day by day and we’ll see where I’ll be.”

The Packers need a healthy Gary as they attempt to bounce back from an 8-9 season that ended a string of three straight playoff appearances.

Gary, 25, had at least one sack in each of the Packers’ first four games last season, including a two-sack performance in an overtime victory over New England. Although he only played nine games, Gary’s six sacks still ranked second on the team, behind Preston Smith’s 8½.

He hurt his knee early in the second half of a 15-9 loss at Detroit on Nov. 6, but he didn’t initially realize the severity of the injury. Gary says he continued playing for about three more snaps before coming out of the game.

The news that he’d miss the rest of the season caught him by surprise.

“I wasn’t thinking about what I was going through,” said Gary, a 2019 first-round pick from Michigan. “I was literally just thinking about just letting down this team, bro. You feel me? I love these guys, love the organization, love the opportunity, the chances that they gave me. But when I got hurt, I wasn’t thinking about me. I was thinking about how to help this team from where I can and what I can do.”

That’s the attitude that has helped Gary win the admiration of his teammates and coaches as he works his way back while also mentoring younger outside linebackers such as second-year pro Kingsley Enagbare and rookie first-round draft pick Lukas Van Ness.

“Certainly, we all see the intensity at which he plays,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He is a game-wrecker, a guy that can significantly impact whether you’re winning or losing. Just his ability to go out there and make plays. But I just love his approach, his work ethic, him helping out some of the younger guys. He’s been very vocal. I just think he’s made and wired the right way, and we’re definitely lucky to have a guy like that.”

While Gary has devoted much of the past several months toward getting back on the field, his injury also gave him some time to complete a major goal unrelated to football.

Gary, who turned pro after his junior season at Michigan, earned his college degree earlier this year. That was a major priority for Gary, who was diagnosed with dyslexia in middle school and has since become an advocate for others dealing with that issue.

“I remember when I committed to Michigan, that was one of the main reasons for me going was for academics,” Gary said. “And being blessed and fortunate to leave early, I told my mom I’d be able to come back and get it done. … So it was a good feeling. I get to check it off.”

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