Why Packers RT Zach Tom is practicing without a contract extension
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Zach Tom thinks he's the NFL's best right tackle when he's on top of his game.
That belief may not be factually correct, but it's also not entirely far-fetched. Only Detroit's Penei Sewell and Philadelphia's Lane Johnson received more All-Pro votes at the position last season than Tom, who was voted to the second team by three of 50 media members.
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Tom, a 2022 fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest who turned 26 in March, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He deserves, and will likely get, a hearty extension in Green Bay. He doesn't have one yet, though, but he's still been present at voluntary organized team activities this spring.
Center Elgton Jenkins, on the other hand, has not been present. ESPN reported that the two-time Pro Bowler Jenkins, who is switching from left guard to center with the arrival of former 49ers left guard Aaron Banks in free agency, hasn't shown up to voluntary OTAs because he wants more financial security in his current deal to protect himself against a potential future loss of earnings that may accompany the switch to a less lucrative position.
Jenkins is perfectly justified in his stance. This isn't to say Tom is right and Jenkins is wrong in their differing approaches amid contract situations, but head coach Matt LaFleur probably appreciates one more than the other, even if he understands both.
'That tells you how much it means to him,' LaFleur said of Tom after Tuesday's practice, adding that he wants every player present but understands this portion of the offseason is voluntary. 'But yeah, that means a lot. I know for me, it means a lot to me.'
The Packers rewarded cornerback Jaire Alexander with a record-breaking contract extension in March 2022 even after he missed 13 games the season prior with a shoulder injury. Alexander then made the All-Pro Second Team the following season. The team is no stranger to backing up the Brinks truck for a worthwhile player coming off a significant injury and the decision immediately paying off (what happened later for Alexander is another discussion).
General manager Brian Gutekunst knows how much Tom is worth based on the prior three years, but Tom might still be taking a risk by practicing without future financial security. And even if the dollar amount on an extension wouldn't change whether Tom got hurt, he's still sacrificing leverage to get a deal done by showing up to Lambeau Field in May and June.
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Why is he doing it this way, when he'd be perfectly justified in staying away?
'I don't really think it'll do me any good to sit out,' Tom said Tuesday. 'I'm trying not to worry about the contract situation. I'm just trying to do what's best for the team. And being here with the guys, I think that's worth a lot more … the contract situation will take care of itself. So I'm just here working and grinding with the guys. If I wasn't here, I'd probably be somewhere just not doing anything.
'I want to be here, obviously.'
When asked if he wanted an extension before the season starts so he doesn't have to think about it during the season, Tom said, 'I'm not going to get into that. I'll just let that take care of itself.'
Tom is probably looking at a contract extension worth somewhere in the mid-to-high $20 millions annually. According to Over The Cap, Sewell makes $28 million per year and Johnson $25 million. Third among right tackles is the Chiefs' Jawaan Taylor at $20 million. Tom has yet to make a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, but shutting down Cowboys edge Micah Parsons in the 2023 wild-card round and playing admirably last season at less than 100 percent after returning from a torn pec are just a couple of the reasons to show Tom the money.
'I think he can play any position,' LaFleur said of Tom, who played left tackle and center in college but has found a home at right tackle in Green Bay. '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.'
Tom didn't want to make excuses, but he said his technique might have suffered last season while playing with a damaged pectoral muscle. He anticipates playing this coming season at 100 percent health and is pushing more weight on his strengthened arm after missing all of OTAs last year.
'Once I came back, I mean, it wasn't perfect, but you're just playing football. You're trying to, at least,' said Tom, who was Pro Football Focus' sixth-best tackle, not just right tackle, in the NFL last season. 'I try not to think about injuries because everybody's going through something.'
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So if Tom is that good without being fully healed from a significant injury, one of the NFL's best tackles and one spot short of an All-Pro nod, what's the next step with or without a new contract?
'I would just say consistency,' Tom said. 'Being a guy that can set the tone during games, being a guy that you can really rely on to block those edge rushers — those elite edge rushers — one-on-one, take them out of the game.'
Tom said it's important for him to be recognized as one of the best in the game at his position, though he's not too worried about what those outside 1265 Lombardi Ave. think about his game. It's probably nice, however, when Texans star edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. tells ESPN that Tom is the best offensive lineman he's faced.
'It's not like I set a goal to be the 10th-best tackle in the league,' Tom said. 'I just gotta hone in on my technique, being consistent in that, because I think when I'm at my best, I'm the best in the league.'
Tom thinks it. Soon enough, he'll be paid like it, too.
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