Philadelphia Eagles: 5 reasons paying Zach Ertz is 100% the correct move
By David Esser
Taking care of your own.
The Philadelphia Eagles have a longstanding history of “taking care of their own” when it comes to contract extensions. They’ve treated guys like Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, and Lane Johnson exceptionally well over the years, and Carson Wentz himself obviously received a monster extension just last year.
Considering the precedent they’ve set, and all the work that Ertz has done for this franchise, it would be a borderline insult to not pay him the money he deserves.
Letting a community and locker room leader like Ertz leave could really unsettle some people in the Eagles organization. Football reasons excluded for the moment, the simple impact of trading him or letting him walk for free could really upset some current Eagles. Veterans would be confused as to why their teammate wasn’t taken care of financially, and young players wouldn’t feel secure in the idea that “playing well” always equals “getting paid”.
Paying Ertz simply out of sentimental value is a really bad idea, but that’s not exactly what I’m proposing. Like previously mentioned, Ertz is extremely important to the team’s offensive scheme and has plenty of years left to give. Throw in the fact that he has done more than enough in terms of deserving another contract extension, it simply makes sense.