The Green Bay Packers have long had a knack for striking gold with offensive linemen taken in the later rounds of the draft. It is a testament to their scouting and development process—something that has turned mid-to-late-round picks like David Bakhtiari, Josh Sitton, Corey Linsley, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, and others into reliable starters or even All-Pro talents.
Tom and Walker are the only two from that group still on the roster, and both are slated to become unrestricted free agents in 2026. It is hard to imagine Green Bay allowing both to hit the open market. With each eligible for an early extension this offseason, it could be wise for General Manager Brian Gutekunst to lock up at least one of his starting tackles for the foreseeable future as soon as possible.
The Packers should be motivated to secure Zach Tom for the long haul, and Packers Talk’s Damon Sewell believes they will aim to make him one of the highest-paid right tackles in the NFL.
"Zach Tom will get paid! Should have been paid yesterday, and the day before that. And the day before that!," Sewell wrote.
"Tom is a top right tackle in the NFL and will likely receive an extension leading up to or during training camp," he added. "It’ll be a big contract extension too. He is likely to compete with Penei Sewell’s right tackle contract but is likely going to be just under that."
Sewell predicted Green Bay could offer Tom a contract extension worth around $21 million per year, which would place him among the top five highest-paid right tackles in the NFL.
"Look for something like a 4-year, $84M extension," he wrote. "It could be even more if Tom’s camp works to get closer to Sewell’s 4 year, $112M extension."
Zach Tom has played all five positions on the offensive line. Moreover, he finished third in All-Pro voting among right tackles. His camp will likely push to reset the market with his next deal, and it would be a significant misstep for Green Bay to let him walk. According to Over the Cap, the Packers have $35.5 million in cap space for 2025, giving them the means to get a deal done with Tom—and it should happen sooner rather than later.
