We effectively saw two different versions of the Green Bay Packers’ pass rush in 2025. When Micah Parsons was on the field, former defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley could keep the structure of his defense intact. The Packers generated consistent pressure with four rushers, allowing seven defenders to drop into coverage and limit explosive plays on the back end.
However, that formula didn’t work once Parsons went down. Over the final five games of the season — the exact stretch he missed after tearing his ACL in Denver — Green Bay’s pass rush became far more scheme-dependent. Hafley had to manufacture pressure through blitzes and simulated looks, which in turn stressed coverage and narrowed Green Bay’s margin for error defensively.
The consequences were evident. The Packers allowed at least 30 points in three of their final five games, including twice against the Chicago Bears, and went 0–5 to close the season.
Parsons is a generational player and will be the heartbeat of Green Bay’s front seven for years to come. Still, the Packers’ pass rush cannot be so dependent on a single player. They must be able to generate pressure even when Parsons isn’t on the field, and they did’t meet that standard in 2025. Green Bay didn’t do enough to ensure its front could remain functional without its No. 1 pass rusher, and now has to take steps toward correcting that.
That process begins with evaluating Lukas Van Ness‘s future.
Van Ness is entering a critical phase of his tenure in Green Bay as the organization approaches a major contractual decision. The Packers must soon decide whether to pick up his fifth-year option, a move that would keep him under contract through the 2027 season at a guaranteed cost projected near $15 million. Passing on the option would instead set Van Ness up to reach free agency following the 2026 campaign, adding urgency to his development this season.
Through three seasons, Van Ness has totaled 84 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and 61 pressures. He has yet to establish himself as a consistent, every-down starter — a notable concern given that Brian Gutekunst invested a top-15 pick in him.
“I’m telling you, I think Van Ness is going to have his best year yet this year,” Parsons said in September. “I’m going to make sure of it. That guy, he’s a very selfless player, like very selfless. He’s one of them guys that can go anywhere. He plays the run, he does everything. He’s the high-quality player that you just want to be around. I’m going to make sure that guy gets as many plays as possible.”
Van Ness showed encouraging signs early in the 2025 campaign, generating 16 pressures over the season’s first five games before a foot injury derailed his momentum. Limited to just 10 appearances and operating in a reduced role, he still produced the most efficient season of his career. Van Ness finished with a personal-best 23 pressures on a career-low 263 defensive snaps.
Despite the inconsistent availability, his underlying performance held up. Van Ness ranked 22nd out of 124 edge defenders in pass-rush win rate and fourth in stop rate against the run.
Since the league introduced the fifth-year option in 2011, the Packers have opted not to pick it up for six first-round selections: Derek Sherrod, Nick Perry, Datone Jones, Jordan Love, Eric Stokes, and Quay Walker.
That decision hasn’t always closed the opportunity for a longer stay in Green Bay. Perry eventually signed an extension after his fourth season, while Love agreed to a short-term bridge deal in place of the option before ultimately landing a long-term extension. Damarious Randall never reached the option decision with the Packers. They traded him to the Cleveland Browns, who later exercised it.
On the other side, Green Bay has chosen to exercise the option six times — for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Kenny Clark, Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Darnell Savage, and Devonte Wyatt. That path has generally led to longer commitments, with Clark, Alexander, and Gary all signing multi-year extensions. They moved Clinton-Dix during his fifth season, while Savage departed in free agency. Wyatt remains under contract, and Green Bay will likely sign him long-term.
Rashan Gary’s status is a major variable in determining Van Ness’ future. Since October 26, Gary has failed to record a sack or a tackle for loss. He is slated to carry the second-highest cap hit on the team in 2026. From a roster-building perspective, it becomes increasingly difficult for Brian Gutekunst to justify that level of investment without corresponding production.
If Green Bay moves on from Gary, exercising the fifth-year option on Van Ness becomes far more logical. In that scenario, the Packers would be positioning Van Ness to enter the 2026 season as a projected starter alongside Parsons, rather than remaining in a rotational role. From a roster-management standpoint, the option would represent an investment in a full-time edge defender with a defined role, not a premium-priced depth piece with limited usage.
From a historical standpoint, Van Ness would be an outlier among edge defenders for whom the Packers have exercised the fifth-year option. He has produced 13 sacks over his first three seasons, according to PFF, a total that sits well below the norm for players at his position. Since 2018, Marcus Davenport is the only edge rusher to see his option picked up with comparable sack production, while the typical edge defender who receives that vote of confidence averages closer to 25 sacks at the same point in their career.
Even so, age and trajectory matter. Van Ness is still just 24 and has flashed meaningful upside when healthy, particularly in efficiency and run defense. Taken together, his age and projected role may be enough for Brian Gutekunst to justify exercising the option, even with the modest sack totals.