Packer retriever

A packer retriever having a grapple body rotatably and slideably coupled to a mandrel directly attached to a milling tool can engage a packer (or extension thereof) having a substantially smooth I.D. in a wellbore while the packer is milled. The mandrel rotates in a central opening through the grapple body. The grapple body does not rotate when released from teeth of a nut on the mandrel and can remain engaged to the packer (or the extension) as milling proceeds. The mandrel includes a specially designed shoulder and the grapple body includes a specially designed bearing, both casehardened, which allow the mandrel to rotate constantly while reducing the effects of wear. The packer retriever remains in the engaged position to prevent the packer from falling if it breaks loose while milling. The packer retriever can transfer torque to the packer and can be engaged and released multiple times.