Zach Tom is starting a new chapter with a new last name.
The Packers right tackle will now go by Zach Tom Bako-Bewele, a change that honors his family’s Nigerian roots. The update is already showing up on Green Bay’s official website and inside the team’s locker room, and Tom confirmed it himself 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 name Bako-Bewele carries both sides of his father’s family. Bako comes from his father’s mother, while Bewele comes from his father’s father.
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
Born Zachary Miskom Tom to Michael and Vanessa Tom, Bako-Bewele has spent his entire NFL career in Green Bay since the Packers picked him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He got five starts as a rookie, then locked down the job full time, starting every regular-season game in 2023 and 2024. Injuries slowed him in 2025, when he played in 12 games after missing five.
Even with the missed time, he stayed among the league’s best tackles. He didn’t give up a sack in 2025 and has allowed only six sacks and 85 pressures over 55 career games, including 51 starts.
Pro Football Focus gave him an 83.5 overall grade last season, which ranked seventh out of 89 qualifying tackles. He was 12th in run blocking and 15th in pass blocking.
The year before, PFF had him fourth overall, 12th in pass blocking and third in run blocking.
That play earned him a four-year, $88 million extension from the Packers. He still hasn’t made a Pro Bowl or earned All-Pro honors, but he enters 2026 healthy and expects to be in the lineup when Green Bay opens against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13.
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