Zach Tom is taking a new name into 2026, and the Packers right tackle says the change is about carrying his family history forward.
Tom will now go by Zach Tom Bako-Bewele, a move that honors his Nigerian heritage and has already shown up on the Packers’ official website and in the team’s locker room. He confirmed the decision on Sunday.
“I want to have a name, especially when I started having kids and stuff, that I can pass down where it represents where they came from, where I came from,” Zach said, explaining the switch. “I just feel like that people will see that name and have a good understanding of who I am.”
The last names come from both sides of his father’s family: Bako is his father’s mother’s last name, and Bewele is his father’s father’s last name.
Born Zachary Miskom Tom to Michael and Vanessa Tom, Bako-Bewele has spent his entire NFL career in Green Bay since the Packers took him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He cracked the starting lineup five times as a rookie, then became a full-time fixture, starting every regular-season game in 2023 and 2024.
Injuries interrupted his 2025 season, limiting him to 12 games after he missed five. Even so, he stayed among the league’s best tackles. He didn’t allow a sack in 2025, and over 55 career games with 51 starts, he has given up just six sacks and 85 pressures.
Pro Football Focus gave him an 83.5 overall grade in 2025, which ranked seventh among 89 qualifying tackles. He was 12th in run-blocking grade and 15th in pass-blocking grade. In 2024, PFF had him fourth overall, 12th in pass blocking and third in run blocking.
Zach Tom has changed his last name to Bako-Bewele.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) August 2, 2026
Bako is his dad’s mom’s last name.
Bewele is his dad’s dad’s last name.
His ancestry is Nigerian. pic.twitter.com/CGMECZqDz1
The Packers backed that level of play with a four-year, $88 million extension. Bako-Bewele has not yet picked up Pro Bowl or All-Pro honors, but he enters 2026 healthy and says he expects to be on the field for Green Bay’s Week 1 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13.
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