diff --git a/net/core/dev.c b/net/core/dev.c
index 8092f01713fb..8eb50e2292fb 100644
--- a/net/core/dev.c
+++ b/net/core/dev.c
@@ -1880,6 +1880,17 @@ static int dev_gso_segment(struct sk_buff *skb)
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/*
+ * Try to orphan skb early, right before transmission by the device.
+ * We cannot orphan skb if tx timestamp is requested, since
+ * drivers need to call skb_tstamp_tx() to send the timestamp.
+ */
+static inline void skb_orphan_try(struct sk_buff *skb)
+{
+	if (!skb_tx(skb)->flags)
+		skb_orphan(skb);
+}
+
 int dev_hard_start_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev,
 			struct netdev_queue *txq)
 {
@@ -1904,23 +1915,10 @@ int dev_hard_start_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev,
 		if (dev->priv_flags & IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE)
 			skb_dst_drop(skb);
 
+		skb_orphan_try(skb);
 		rc = ops->ndo_start_xmit(skb, dev);
 		if (rc == NETDEV_TX_OK)
 			txq_trans_update(txq);
-		/*
-		 * TODO: if skb_orphan() was called by
-		 * dev->hard_start_xmit() (for example, the unmodified
-		 * igb driver does that; bnx2 doesn't), then
-		 * skb_tx_software_timestamp() will be unable to send
-		 * back the time stamp.
-		 *
-		 * How can this be prevented? Always create another
-		 * reference to the socket before calling
-		 * dev->hard_start_xmit()? Prevent that skb_orphan()
-		 * does anything in dev->hard_start_xmit() by clearing
-		 * the skb destructor before the call and restoring it
-		 * afterwards, then doing the skb_orphan() ourselves?
-		 */
 		return rc;
 	}
 
@@ -1938,6 +1936,7 @@ int dev_hard_start_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev,
 		if (dev->priv_flags & IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE)
 			skb_dst_drop(nskb);
 
+		skb_orphan_try(nskb);
 		rc = ops->ndo_start_xmit(nskb, dev);
 		if (unlikely(rc != NETDEV_TX_OK)) {
 			if (rc & ~NETDEV_TX_MASK)