The week before the Kansas City Chiefs game last year, a reporter asked Adam Stenavich how he felt Zach Tom was playing in 2023. Tom was coming off a stellar performance against Aidan Hutchinson on Thanksgiving, allowing no sacks or QB hits.
“I think he’s been doing a great job,” Stenavich replied. “He’s a steady guy. I’m sure if you ever talked to him, you know you won’t get many words out of him. He’s a pretty even-keeled dude. He loves football. He goes out on the field, straps his helmet on, and you can tell that he loves being out there. He’s a physical guy, so it’s fun to coach and watch him play. But he’s doing a great job.”
Following his answer, another reporter immediately asked Stenavich whether he saw Tom as Green Bay’s right tackle of the future.
“You look at what he’s doing at right tackle, and it’s hard to say he’s not,” he said. “He’s performing out there, and it’s very hard to find tackles that are productive anywhere. I think he’s one of those special guys that you could put him anywhere and he would be a good player. Right now, I’m focusing on him playing right tackle; we’ll worry about the future later.”
After the Kansas City game, Tom allowed six pressures, six hurries, no QB hits, and no sacks over the last five games of the season. He finished 2023 with 33 pressures, 29 hurries, two QB hits, and two sacks allowed. Additionally, his pass-blocking efficiency was 97.2, the best among offensive tackles from his draft class who had a minimum of 50 pass-blocking snaps. Moreover, last year, there were 19 offensive tackles with at least 650 pass-blocking snaps, including Tom. He allowed the second-fewest sacks and QB hits, and his 33 pressures were the fifth-lowest.
Tom was arguably Green Bay’s best offensive lineman in 2023, but he is undeniably the most important lineman for the Packers, schematically speaking. His importance became clear during the Packers’ playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. Before Tom went down with an injury, Jordan Love had two touchdowns and a 120.3 passer rating. After Tom’s injury, Love threw two interceptions with a 16.7 rating.
Tom has already proven he is a starter in Green Bay for the foreseeable future. In over 952 pass-blocking snaps in his career, he has allowed only three sacks and six quarterback hits.
The Packers will extend Tom unless he regresses, and it’s wise for Green Bay to do it as soon as possible. Because the Packers drafted Tom in 2022, they can only extend him after the 2024 season. Players who are drafted and sign four-year deals are eligible for extensions after three seasons.
Tom will enter the final year of his rookie deal next season. Green Bay could let him play out his contract and negotiate an extension immediately before free agency in 2026. However, that could be risky with the cap growing every offseason and NFL contracts getting larger.
Therefore, it’s wise for the Packers to extend Zach Tom as soon as possible. Early negotiation can give them more time to open cap space for extensions for other members of the 2022 draft class, such as Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Devonte Wyatt, Quay Walker, and Rasheed Walker, while securing one of the best young right tackles in football for the foreseeable future.
Additionally, if the Packers and Tom reset the tackle market, it will pressure all 31 franchises to pay more for their future tackles. It’s also worth noting that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tristan Wirfs finalized a five-year, $140 million deal on Thursday, which doesn’t help Green Bay in their own negotiations.
Last year, Tom allowed nine QB pressures over 125 pass-blocking snaps against T.J. Watt, Aidan Hutchinson, and Cameron Jordan. In his rookie season, Tom’s versatility was highlighted by his 295 snaps as left tackle, 96 at left guard, 14 at right guard, and 84 as right tackle. Furthermore, he allowed just two sacks and two QB hits in 656 pass-blocking snaps in 2023. If he keeps playing at a high level, it’s just a matter of time before Green Bay signs him to a long-term deal. Hopefully, it’s sooner rather than later.
