GREEN BAY PACKERS offensive lineman Zach Tom has signed a record breaking extension with the franchise.
The four-year deal is worth $88 million, with a $30.2million signing bonus.
Zach Tom is set to receive the biggest ever bonus paid to an offensive lineman, $30.2million, in a deal that extends his stay in Green Bay by four years[/caption]
Tom, 26, has played for the Packers since being taken in the fourth round of the 2022 draft[/caption]
This bonus figure is the largest ever paid to an offensive linesman, according to ESPN.
The extra $200,000 pushes the figure above the $30million bonuses handed to Laremy Tunsil and David Bakhtiari in 2020.
Tom – a Louisiana native – was not initially touted among the best prospects for his position.
He played his college football with Wake Forest before being picked in the 4th round of the 2022 draft.
However, since joining up with the Packers he has become one of the most complete tackles in the NFL.
Tom stands at 6ft 4in tall and weighs in at 304lbs, and has the attributes to play across the offensive line.
He has started all 17 games in both his last two seasons between multiple positions.
Last season he allowed just four sacks on Packers QB Jordan Love.
This record helped him to an overall grade of 87.5, 4th best among offensive tackles last year according to Pro Football Focus.
Talking to reporters in June, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur credited Tom’s versatility as a unique skill among his counterparts.
He said: “I think he can play any position,
“It just happened to be that he found his home at right tackle
“His versatility is one of the things that make him special, he can play all five and there is not a lot of guys who can do that.
“I would say that he has got the athleticism, I think he is a very intelligent football player, and he has played consistently over the course of the past few years.”
Lafleur also credited Tom’s mentality as he continued to show up to voluntary commitments with the organisation going into a contract year.
NFL WEEK 1 SCHEDULE
(All times ET)
Thur 4 Sept
8.20 pm – Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
Fri 5 Sept
8pm – Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers
Sun 7 Sept
1pm – Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
1pm – Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns
1pm – Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts
1pm – Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots
1pm – Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
1pm – Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Jets
1pm – New York Giants at Washington Commanders
1pm – Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars
4.05 pm – Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos
4.05 pm – San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
4.25 pm – Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
4.25 pm – Houston Texans at Los Angeles Rams
8.20 pm – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Mon 8 Sept
8.15 pm – Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
He said: “It shows you how much it means to him.”
LaFleur will hope the new deal will allow the Packers to build on their successes last season.
Packers QB Jordan Love will hope Tom’s protection can help him lead the team to a post-season run[/caption]
The Wisconsin outfit cruised to an 11-6 record last season, their best since 2021.
Their third place finish in the NFC North secured them access to the wild card round.
They were stopped 22-10 by eventual Super Bowl winners, the Philadelphia Eagles.
