We may be on the doorstep of the official end to Zach Ertz's tenure in Philadelphia. According to Michael Silver of the NFL Network, multiple teams have called the Eagles about their veteran tight end and a deal could happen in the coming days. Ertz has been the subject of trade rumors for quite a bit after he and the team could not come to terms on an extension. The club reportedly looked to move him around the deadline this past season but an ankle injury halted any serious trade talks from being executed. Now, the 30-year-old is healthy and it appears like his days in Philly are numbered.
Ertz, who has spent his entire eight-year career with the Eagles, even gave a nod to his potential divorce from the organization during a tearful press conference with the media in the aftermath of the 2020 season.
Ertz has one more year left on his current contract and was widely pegged as a candidate to possibly be cut by the Eagles for cap purposes in the event that they could not find a trade partner. Philadelphia has one of the worst salary cap situations in the league currently and needs to slash around $34 million just to get compliant with the projected salary cap number of $180 million for 2021. By cutting bait with Ertz, Philly would clear around $4.7 million off their cap.
It's unclear what Ertz's trade value will ultimately end up being, but the fact that multiple teams are inquiring about bringing him aboard should mean that Philadelphia could receive solid compensation for the three-time Pro Bowler. In the event that Ertz does, in fact, get moved, the Eagles have Dallas Goedert as the in-house option to replace him as the clear starting tight end. In 11 games played last season, Goedert hauled in 46 passes for 524 yards and three touchdowns.
