Pointing that Zach Tom is becoming a star is an understatement. Entering his fourth NFL season in 2025, the former fourth-round pick is already a consolidated elite player at the right tackle position. Soon, the Green Bay Packers will have to pay him like one.
Last season, his second as a full-time starting right tackle, Tom was the first RT in PFF grade, fourth tackle overall—only behind Jordan Mailata, Rashawn Slater, and Terron Armstead. More impressively, he is a complete player. Tom was the second right tackle in pass block grade, only behind Lane Johnson, and the second in run block grade, after Penei Sewell. According to ESPN, he won 92% of his blocks throughout the season.
So yes, he had a tough playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was his second worst pass block grade and worst run block game of the entire season. But who didn’t suffer against that Eagles’ defensive front? Zach Tom is great, and his development is still underway.
Money
A fourth-round pick in 2022, Zach Tom has already played three full NFL seasons, which means he is now eligible for a contract extension. This year, he got the Proven Performance Escalator and his salary is slated to be $3.34 million.
But considering Tom’s performance track record and the state of the tackle position, the sooner the Packers are able to get a deal done, the better. It will only become more and more expensive, and Green Bay clearly already sees Tom as a long-term building block.
The big question is how much it will cost them. And the short answer is: a lot.
Spotrac has a market value projection for Tom based on his production, age, and deals of his counterparts. It came up with a four-year, $86.71 million extension—a yearly average of $21.7 million.
That would put him as the second highest paid right tackle in football, only behind Detroit Lions’ Penei Sewell at $28 million.
Believe it or not, that would still be a team-friendly contract. Adding his four-year extension to the season he has left, the Packers would actually give him a five-year, $90 million contract.
The $18 million real yearly average is extremely palatable—guard Elgton Jenkins makes $17 million per season.
Zach Tom will be 26 by the start of next season, and offensive tackles tend to play well beyond their age 30 seasons. Locking Tom up through 2029 would give the Packers a ton of security at a premium position with a player that is only expected to improve.
It’s the Packers’ biggest internal priority of the offseason, and it might be just a matter of time.