The Green Bay Packers have taken another hit up front, and this one lands hard. Offensive lineman Zach Bako-Bewele is done for the season after suffering a torn patellar tendon on Sunday, according to NFL insider Ari Meirov.
“RT Zach Bako-Bewele (formerly Zach Tom) suffered a torn patellar tendon on Sunday and will miss the rest of the 2026 NFL season, he told reporters. A gut-punch loss for Green Bay’s offensive line,” Meirov wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Bako-Bewele was injured in Green Bay’s 20-17 overtime win over the New York Jets, and the damage is especially brutal because it involves the same patellar tendon he partially tore in December of last year. USA Today’s Zach Kruse reported that he already had surgery to fix that injury and now will need another surgery along with a long rehab process after fully tearing the tendon in his right knee.
The Packers will have to adjust quickly. Anthony Belton is expected to step into the starting lineup after Bako-Bewele’s season-ending setback, a development that adds more pressure to an offensive line already dealing with a major loss this early in the year.
Green Bay also has a lot invested in Bako-Bewele. The team signed him to an $88 million contract in 2025 that runs through the 2029 season, and he has been selected by All Pro voters at right tackle in each of the last two years. A $9 million roster bonus is also due in March of next year.
The Packers, who have already been navigating a difficult stretch since losing star edge rusher Micah Parsons to injury, return to action against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.
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