Philadelphia Eagles rumors: Zach Ertz still wants to be traded

Somewhat overshadowed due to the addition of Ryan Kerrigan, a rather interesting tidbit dropped on Monday morning in regards to Zach Ertz‘ status as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer, the 3x Pro Bowler is still looking to depart the Eagles prior to the 2021 season beginning:

While there was a sentiment amongst the fanbase that Ertz could be “lured” back to Philadelphia to act as a “security blanket” for Jalen Hurts alongside the likes of DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, I can’t say I’m all that surprised to see Ertz still wanting a way out given the current state of the Eagles organization. Even with some shrewd offseason additions, the team is still expected to be entering a rebuilding phase moving forward, a phase that Ertz won’t be apart of.

Even when Ertz was healthy during the 2020 season, a majority of the game plan was designed around getting Goedert the ball at the tight end position, and with the addition of Smith during this year’s draft, Ertz’ targets should only see a further reduction.

It’s also worth highlighting that Nick Sirianni is expected to run an offense predicated around the run during his debut season as an NFL head coach. The additions of Kenneth Gainwell and Kerryon Johnson have seriously revamped the team’s RB depth, and Hurts is a guy who likes to take off rather frequently himself.

Ertz is very much a “receiving tight end.” Not someone you’d expect to sign up for 17 games worth of blocking with Smith and Goedert catching all the touchdowns.

Even further, the departure of Carson Wentz at the start of the offseason likely played a huge role in Ertz determining his next career move. He was already frustrated with the front office for not handing him an extension prior to 2020, the trading away of one of his close friends in Wentz was likely the final straw.

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Philadelphia Eagles TE Zach Ertz still wants to be traded.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been trying to trade Ertz for the majority of the offseason, with NFL insider Adam Caplan going as far as to say that a deal would be finalized during the draft. Obviously that did not happen, and one can only assume that Howie Roseman’s asking price remains far too high. A third/fourth round pick price was tossed out there earlier this offseason, which teams have been unwilling to meet considering Ertz’ current $8 million salary.

This is why McLane mentioned the possibility of a full-on release being in play, should Ertz refuse to show up for offseason activities and teams continue to not meet Roseman’s asking price in regards to a potential trade.

Ultimately speaking, one side is going to have to budge. Either Ertz is going to decide to ride it out with Sirianni and Hurts and hope to boost his value on the field leading into this year’s trade deadline, or Roseman is going to honor the wishes of one of the best overall players in franchise history. Time is a ticking, though.