Philadelphia Eagles hit yet another roadblock in Zach Ertz extension talks
By David Esser
The Philadelphia Eagles have hit yet another roadblock when it comes to extending TE Zach Ertz.
As if the slew of injuries weren’t enough to dampen Philadelphia Eagles fans’ spirits, it looks like the team’s front office has reportedly struggled to find a middle ground with their star tight end: Zach Ertz. First reported on by NFL insider Ian Rappoport, he tweeted out the following:
"“Sources: Negotiations between the #Eagles and TE Zach Ertz came to an abrupt halt when PHI made an offer that had less guaranteed money than their offer in November. The backloaded offer also had less cash over the next 4 seasons annually than Austin Hooper’s Browns contract.”"
The Eagles-Ertz saga has been an ongoing one ever since George Kittle and Travis Kelce received their own respective mega-extensions, and it’s starting to appear like Howie Roseman and the Eagles are in no huge rush to get anything done. Ertz is technically still under contract through the 2021 season, and Roseman could easily sit on this situation while he focuses on dealing with the team’s current financial situations.
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The Eagles have been projected to be anywhere from $70 million to $90 million over the salary cap next season, and even with Roseman’s vast experience in salary cap maneuvering, that’s one daunting task. The Philadelphia front office needs to be in the business of shedding salary at the moment, as opposed to handing out lucrative deals, and it seems like Ertz is the current victim of that approach.
Ertz has without question been a top three tight end in the NFL over the last three seasons, stacking up quite nicely at the top next to guys like Kittle and Kelce. He obviously helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win during the 2017 season, and has established himself as Carson Wentz favorite pass-catching target.
Despite all that, Ertz is set to be just the seventh highest paid TE in football, in terms of average annual salary (according to Over The Cap). The previously mentioned Kittle and Kelce sit at the top, while mid-tier guys like Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Kyle Rudolph, and Rob Gronkowski command the 3-7 spots. Considering that Ertz has had better statistical production than all of those players as of late, it’s understandable that he’s a tad frustrated at the moment.
The other major wrinkle to the discussion is the fact that the Eagles have a blossoming TE1 in Dallas Goedert. A good chunk of fans have suggested that the team should simply pivot from Ertz to Goedert in terms of who the primary TE is, but it’s rarely that simple. The Eagles love utilizing 12-personnel, and having both Goedert and Ertz on the field at the same time has become a staple of the Philly offense.
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As of right now, it looks like nothing is truly close to getting done in terms of a longterm extension between Ertz and the Philadelphia Eagles, however, I would remain overall optimistic that the star TE will be in Philly for the foreseeable future. He has repeatedly voiced his desire to retire an Eagles, is loved by his teammates and coaches, and has truly developed as Wentz’ security blanket over the middle of the field. Hard to imagine the Philly front office letting him go over a few million dollars.