The long, dark days of the offseason are over. Rookies and quarterbacks begin their training camp journeys, and the rest of the Green Bay Packers roster will soon join them.
Among them is Zach Tom, who still needs a deserved contract extension.
Tom might not have All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors to show for it, but he has consistently played at an elite level on the right side of the Packers' offensive line. His ability to line up at tackle, guard, and center only increases his value to the team.
Only three tackles earned a higher Pro Football Focus grade than Tom's 87.5 last season. He ranked third for run-blocking and 12th for pass-blocking.
It's time to pay him. Tom is entering a contract year and will likely, at some point, become one of the highest-paid tackles in the NFL. He doesn't deserve to face any unnecessary uncertainty over his future.
The ink is drying on several big-time contracts across the league on the eve of camp. The Kansas City Chiefs just handed guard Trey Smith a record-shattering extension worth $94 million. The Pittsburgh Steelers did the same with star edge-rusher T.J. Watt.
It's the Packers' turn.
To this point, Tom has shown no indications of holding out. He participated fully in the offseason program, but the Packers can't afford to take that for granted. Jordan Love did the same a year ago before "holding in" — he attended training camp but didn't practice until he had finalized a new contract.
That's not to say Tom will do the same, but he has every right, and it shouldn't even be a conversation. The Packers should hand him a new deal the moment he walks in the building.
Packers need to open training camp with a multi-year extension for Zach Tom
The Packers already face an awkward situation with Pro Bowl guard-turned-center Elgton Jenkins, who sat out of the offseason program as he wants more financial security. That's another potential headache awaiting the team, but Jenkins has every right to be frustrated.
They can't afford to make a similar mistake with Tom.
The good news? General manager Brian Gutekunst made it clear that they are working on an extension with the Packers' star right tackle. It's their plan to get a deal done.
The sooner, the better. Even if Tom shows up to camp and practices without a new deal, it would still add a cloud of uncertainty over his future. It's an unnecessary distraction that's guaranteed to come up every time he speaks to the media.
The Packers made that mistake with Love a year ago, costing him valuable reps. They finalized an extension on the cusp of the first padded practice, but the "hold-in" still created an unnecessary delay.
There's a lesson to learn. Tom deserves a new deal, and he will receive one. So why wait? The Packers need to push this extension over the line by the time Tom arrives in Green Bay for camp.