GREEN BAY – Zach Tom strained as hard as he could and exhausted every available option to get on the field Saturday night for the Packers' NFC Wild Card playoff game in Chicago.
Until finally Green Bay's starting right tackle came to terms with the fact his injured knee wasn't going to fully cooperate.
"It was probably one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in my life," Tom said. "Obviously you want to be out there in the playoffs because that's when everything's at stake. I just don't think I was in a position where I could go out there and help the team."
Tom knew what he was up against as soon as he suffered a partially torn patellar tendon during Green Bay's Week 14 matchup with the Denver Broncos. It's a risky injury with dire consequences if it tears completely.
The 6-foot-4, 304-pound tackle underwent a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection with the hope it would hasten his recovery and possibly get him back for the playoffs.
But the knee didn't improve as much as Tom or the training staff hoped and the fourth-year veteran was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Packers' season ended in a 31-27 loss to the Bears.
"I feel like I could do a lot of what I need to do (but) I was never really comfortable in pass protection," Tom said. "If somebody's truly trying to run through my chest, I don't think I would've been able to be competitive."
It was a bitter ending to a season that started with so much promise for Tom, who was rewarded for years of stability on the offensive line with a long-term contract extension this past July.
A 2022 fourth-round pick out of Wake Forest, Tom started 37 straight games (including playoffs) for Green Bay and looked like he was picking up where he left off before suffering an oblique injury in the Packers' regular-season opener against Detroit.
Tom played just one snap over the next three games and was listed with a back injury for the remainder of the year even after returning. He was doing as well as an offensive lineman could be doing in December when the knee injury struck in Denver, and it proved to be the last straw to his frustrating 2025 campaign.
Tom said he's "leaning towards" surgery to fix the patellar tendon, which would require a six-month recovery. Beyond just the knee issue, though, Tom wants to dig deeper into the sports science to uncover why he battled as many injuries as he did.
"It's tough. You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can use the offseason to figure out if it's something I'm doing," Tom said. "Maybe I need to put on some weight. … Maybe I need to get in better shape. Obviously, we need to figure something out because I keep tearing (stuff)."
When healthy-ish, Tom remained one of the best at his position and still received the fourth-most votes among right tackles in AP All-Pro balloting despite missing five games.
In addition to Tom, the Packers also lost All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons to a season-ending ACL injury in Denver. Green Bay didn't win a game the rest of the season.
"I think it's just the execution," Tom said. "There were some things that we did up front there in the game that (you) just can't make those mistakes in a playoff game. Part of that falls on me, that's something where I need to improve. I need to be a better leader. I need to take control."
This will be an interesting offseason for the Packers' offensive line, which also lost Elgton Jenkins to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 10. Tom's 2022 draft classmates – left tackle Rasheed Walker and center Sean Rhyan – are both set to become unrestricted free agents in March.
Rhyan told reporters on Monday that he avoided a significant knee injury in the waning moments of the Bears game, suffering only a bone bruise that shouldn't threaten his offseason training.
Tom lauded Walker for his durability and hopes the former seventh-round pick may be back next year. Walker has played in 55 consecutive games, including 48 starts, since the 2023 regular-season opener.
"Coming in, getting drafted in the seventh round, and then turning into a starting left tackle in the NFL is just a blessing from God," Walker said. "Really enjoyed my time here, took pride in protecting Jordan Love or whoever was in the backfield playing quarterback, made a lot of great relationships with a lot of guys. It's just been a good time for me, and I'm just ready for whatever's happening next."
Tom is ready to put the 2025 season behind him. He's excited to work alongside rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton, who took over at right guard for the stretch run, and hopes better health and continuity lead to improvement in 2026.
"Anytime you have injuries at any position, it's difficult to develop that chemistry but especially on the O-line," Tom said. "Obviously you want to be out there. You want to be able to build that chemistry, especially because they moved Belton next to me and you want to be able to get as many reps with him as you can. It just didn't work out like that."
