LOOK: Rashan Gary reveals mantra following Green Bay Packers minicamp practice
Rashan Gary recorded his breakout season in 2021 and appears to be hungry for more. The Green Bay Packers‘ fourth-year linebacker out of Michigan posted, “See what you hit, HIT what you see,” on Twitter after minicamp practice this week.
Along with the mantra, Gary also wrote, “#PutCheeseOnEverything.”
After his big season in 2021, the Packers opted to pick up his fifth-year option. It locked him into a 2023 salary between $10.9M and $11.7M, depending on playing time. He posted 9.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, 28 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss and 47 combined tackles. His 81 total pressures ranked third in the league among edge rushers.
Gary played his college football at Michigan, spending three years with the Wolverines. In his collegiate career, he totaled 119 tackles with 23 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. The Packers selected Gary 12th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Packers coach Mike Smith praises Gary
Packers outside linebackers coach Mike Smith has always been high on Rashan Gary. After the 2021 season, he made a bold proclamation about the young star.
“I’m not scared to say it, he’s going to be one of the best in this league if not the best in the league when this is all said and done,” Smith said of Gary.
“The thing with Rashan and why I was so confident, and I think that a lot of coaches are scared to put themselves out there. I’ve never been like that. I love Rashan from the first time I watched him on film, and then when I met him as a person, I knew it. I think a lot of things sometimes in football is just common sense. How is the guy gonna fail? We all know how athletic he is. We knew he was going to be raw. The guy loves football. He would do anything. Study, all of that stuff. It would be impossible for him to fail.
“I knew that, and I knew Rashan was never going to give up. He just needed to be taught. I knew he was going to spend the time. There’s been a few people I’ve met that didn’t think this guy was going to make it. The thing about Rashan is he takes out that noise, he don’t care. He knows there’s people that have doubted him. He’s going to feel that and use it for the rest of his career.”
On3’s Jonathan Wagner contributed to this report.