Earlier this month, Eagles Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz made it abundantly clear that he wants to remain in Philadelphia for the rest of his NFL days, saying that "my goal is to be like Kobe Bryant and play for one organization my entire career." Well, it looks like he may soon inch one step closer to that ultimate goal as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports the Eagles have reengaged contract extension talks with the 29-year-old.
Ertz has two years remaining on a five-year, $42.5 million contract he signed with the Eagles back in 2016 and could be looking at another big payday following the massive contract extensions that George Kittle (five years, $75 million) and Travis Kelce (four years, $57.25 million) inked this offseason.
Ertz is certainly in that category of being one of the top three tight ends the league has to offer, so it's not surprising to see the Eagles trying to lock him up yet again. Over the last three seasons, Ertz's 2,903 receiving yards are third among tight ends, just behind Kelce and Kittle. No tight end has more receptions (525) in their first seven seasons in the NFL than Ertz and his 5,743 receiving yards are sixth all-time over that stretch, so he is very much on a Hall of Fame pace.
That said, it may be a bit more difficult to reach an agreement for the Eagles than first thought. CBS Sports' Joel Corry breaks down the avenue for both sides to come to terms on an extension and it could be impacted by the deal that Kelce just inked with the Chiefs. Corry says that it's hard to envision Ertz's camp taking such a team-friendly contract structure that Kelce did with Kansas City, so they could be looking more at franchise tag figures instead.
The other piece to these extension talks for Ertz, meanwhile, is how it may impact fellow tight end Dallas Goedert, who did admit earlier this week that Ertz "deserves a contract." The former second-round pick also has two years remaining on his rookie contract and is eligible to receive an extension next offseason. If Ertz is already locked up to a new big-money deal, that could impact Goedert's future in Philadelphia.
While it remains to be seen how that leg of this storyline will play out, there appears to be plenty of interest by both Ertz and the Eagles to keep their relationship going beyond 2021.
