Green Bay Packers right tackle Zach Tom is in the process of changing his name to Zach Bako-Bewele, and the new name is already showing up where fans first notice it. The team website and his locker room name plate have both been updated while the legal paperwork is still moving forward.
That makes the change relevant now, not later. Zach Bako-Bewele is entering his fifth season in the NFL, and a name that is already visible on team materials will quickly become part of how people follow him, especially as the jersey is expected to catch up soon.
He said the new name combines both of his grandparents’ last names. Bako was his dad’s mom’s last name. Bewele was his dad’s dad’s last name. His grandparents were Nigerian immigrants, and he said he wants a name he can pass down. He also said the change reflects where they came from and where he came from, giving the name a family meaning that goes beyond the field.
For now, though, he remains Zach Tom in a legal sense even as the change moves through the process. That split matters because the Packers are already using the new name in some places, but the rest of the public-facing shift has not fully caught up yet.
The timing also lands in the middle of a major moment for Green Bay’s offensive line. Tom was a former fourth-round pick from Wake Forest, started in five games in his rookie season, then started every game in 2022 and 2023. Before the 2025 season, he signed a four-year, $88 million deal with over $30 million in guaranteed salary. He then tore his patellar tendon in Week 14 of the 2025 season, and the Packers were 8-4 when he started that year compared with 1-3-1 when he did not.
The line around him is shifting, too. Aaron Banks is returning to left guard, Sean Rhyan is going to try center, Anthony Belton will take over at right guard, and Jordan Morgan has played all four offensive line spots outside of center. In that picture, Bako-Bewele remains the one steady starter with a strong reputation, even as the name on the back of the jersey is still working its way toward the one he wants to leave behind.
