The Green Bay Packers and offensive tackle Zach Tom have agreed to terms on a four-year, $88 million contract extension, a source with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Athletic.
The deal includes a $30.2 million signing bonus, the largest ever given to an NFL offensive lineman. ESPN was first to report the news.
Tom isn’t exactly a household name across the NFL, but now the 26-year-old will be paid like one. The 2022 fourth-round pick received the third-most All-Pro votes among right tackles last season behind only Detroit’s Penei Sewell and Philadelphia’s Lane Johnson. Now, Tom’s new $22 million average annual salary is third-highest at his position behind those two, according to Over The Cap. Pro Football Focus rated Tom as the sixth-best overall offensive tackle in the league last season. Tom participated in the entirety of the Packers’ voluntary offseason program even without a new deal, and this deal ensures he’ll also be on the field when the Packers hold their first public practice of training camp on Wednesday.
“I think he can play any position,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said this offseason of Tom. “So it just happened to be that he kind of found his home at right tackle, but I think his versatility is one of the things that makes him special. I think he can play all five and there’s not a lot of guys that can do that. But I would say that he’s got the athleticism. I think he’s a very intelligent football player and he’s played pretty consistent over the course of the last few years.”
The Packers will have a new left guard and new center this season, while there remains uncertainty surrounding who will start at left tackle and right guard. The only sure thing up front is Tom protecting quarterback Jordan Love’s strong side, which he’s done admirably the last several years.
(Photo of Zach Tom: Matt Schneidman / The Athletic)
