Bills Worried About Tight End Depth?
The Bills may be seeking some reinforcement at tight end. Josina Anderson tweets that “apprehensions with production [and] consistency at the Bills tight end spot are still a topic of conversation” within the organization.
With all due respect to the team’s tight ends, this assessment makes plenty of sense. Josh Allen threw for 4,544 yards and 37 touchdowns last season, but the group of tight ends barely cracked 400 receiving yards. 2019 third-rounder Dawson Knox will continue to lead the depth chart, and the 24-year-old has averaged only 25 yards per game through his first two years in the NFL (27 games).
The Bills did bring in veteran Jacob Hollister this offseason, but the veteran isn’t known for his pass-catching prowess. The organization also added undrafted free agent Quintin Morris, pairing the additions with holdovers like Tommy Sweeney and Nate Becker. Considering the lack of inspiring options, Anderson notes that the situation is “something to keep an eye on,” especially considering the availability of Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. If Buffalo ends up pulling off that kind of deal, it sounds like the current grouping of tight ends would be ready for the extra reinforcement.
“How I look at that stuff is whoever they bring in, that’s just great competition for the room,” Knox said (via Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle). “I love that Jacob’s (Hollister) here now, he’s a great dude. No matter who they bring in, whether it’s a rookie or an All-Pro like Zach, I think it’ll be great just to elevate the competition. Iron sharpens iron and that’s a big philosophy that I have.”
Zach Ertz Won’t Report For Eagles Offseason
The last update we had on Zach Ertz was a couple of weeks ago, when it looked like things might be headed in the right direction between him and the Eagles. That apparently wasn’t the case.
Philadelphia passed on adding a tight end in the draft, and the chances were starting to look better that he’d stay with the Eagles for 2021. However, Ertz was not among the players who showed up for the start of Phase 2 of Philly’s offseason program, a source told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).
Further, McLane writes that Ertz “isn’t expected to report for the remainder of the offseason program or until his situation is resolved,” which he says means either being “traded or released.” Ertz was given permission to seek a trade about two months ago, but nothing has materialized.
Although there has reportedly been some interest, no one has been willing to meet GM Howie Roseman’s apparent asking price of a third or fourth-round pick. We’re now in the middle of a stalemate. Ertz, who will turn 31 in November and is coming off a down year, is entering the final year of his contract.
2020 was a big disappointment, but he made three straight Pro Bowls from 2017-19 and has consistently been one of the league’s better tight ends for a while now. We should have another update on him soon, and as of right now it appears unlikely he’ll be catching passes from Jalen Hurts this season.
Latest On Eagles’ TE Zach Ertz
The Eagles did not select a tight end in last week’s draft, and even though they gave TE Zach Ertz permission to seek a trade in March, no one has been willing to meet their asking price as of yet. So Ertz and Dallas Goedert remain atop Philadelphia’s tight end depth chart.
Does that mean that Ertz will play out the last season of his current contract with the team that made him a second-round pick in 2013? Not necessarily, but as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk suggests, it looks like a much stronger possibility than it did two months ago.
In speaking about the situation during a press conference last weekend, GM Howie Roseman called Ertz a “guy still in his prime.” He added, “we think Zach’s a good player, a good person and he’s under contract.”
Although Ertz, 30, is coming off his worst season in the NFL — a season in which he missed five games due to an ankle injury — he earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the previous three years. At his best, he is one of the top tight ends in the game, and his $8.5MM salary for 2021 is not prohibitive for a player of his talents. Given that, and given that the Eagles were seeking just a third- or fourth-round pick in a trade, it’s a little surprising that Roseman hasn’t been able to find any takers.
Perhaps that will change as teams reevaluate their rosters after the draft, or perhaps Roseman will hang onto Ertz. After all, the team is set to start second-year pro Jalen Hurts at quarterback — the alleged “open competition” notwithstanding — and it would make sense to surround him with as much skill position talent as possible.
Roseman’s comments, though, hardly preclude a trade. If a deal comes together after June 1, the Eagles will save about $4MM of cap space when factoring in the dead money they would also absorb. They would also carry $1.74MM in dead money in each of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which are void years tacked onto the end of Ertz’s deal.
Eagles GM On Zach Ertz Trade Talks
It’s no secret: The Eagles and Zach Ertz could be headed for a divorce. Still, GM Howie Roseman says that he’ll need the right offer in order to part ways with the star tight end.
“For us to trade any player, it’s gotta make sense for both sides,” Roseman said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). “None of us had the year we wanted to have last year, but that doesn’t define us. We know who he is on and off the field and we value that.”
The Eagles have granted Ertz permission to seek trades and several teams have spoken with the Birds in recent days. Roseman is reportedly looking for a seeking a third or fourth-round pick — so far, they haven’t gotten any takers.
Ertz, 30, has one year left on his contract with an $8.25MM salary and $12.4MM cap hit. Trading or cutting him would save $5MM with $8MM in dead money. The Eagles don’t have a ton of leverage: Ertz is coming off his worst season as a pro and their dirty laundry has been aired out for all to read. Therefore, contenders are willing to stay patient with the chance of landing the 2019 Pro Bowler — without giving up any draft picks.
Eagles Give Permission To Zach Ertz To Seek Trade
The Zach Ertz / Eagles saga appears to be nearing an end. Philadelphia has given the veteran tight end permission to seek his own trade, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapsheet notes that “several teams have been engaged.” The two sides have been headed for divorce for quite some time now, and things have been ramping up lately. A little over a week ago we heard that a trade could come soon, and it was reported over the weekend that the Eagles were seeking a third or fourth-round pick for Ertz.
So far nobody has been willing to meet that asking price since Ertz is now 30 and coming off a down year. Meanwhile, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that Ertz isn’t looking for a new contract as part of a trade and is willing to play out the final year of his deal, which should make things a bit easier (Twitter video link).
From Philly’s perspective they’ve got Dallas Goedert waiting in the wings, which makes Ertz expendable. He clashed with management this past year, and even got into a heated argument with GM Howie Roseman at one point over his contract.
Ertz has one more season left on his current deal with an $8.25MM salary and $12.4MM cap hit. Trading or cutting him would save the Eagles almost $5MM in cap space, but also leave almost $8MM in dead money. Ertz is coming off easily his worst season as a pro, but he made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and was a first-team All-Pro in 2018.
The team reportedly considered trading him around last year’s deadline, but an ankle injury nixed those talks. Ertz has been easily one of the best tight ends in the league the past handful of years, and it’s not hard to envision him having a bounce back campaign in 2021 wherever he lands.
Eagles Want Third Or Fourth Rounder For Zach Ertz
The Eagles want a third or fourth-round pick for Zach Ertz, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, the Birds continue to insist that they won’t release the tight end.
Ertz wants to stay with the Eagles, despite clashing with GM Howie Roseman in the midst of extension talks. In turn, the Eagles pondered trading him before the 2020 deadline. Then, Ertz’s ankle injury brought those discussions to a halt.
Now, at the age of 30, Ertz is a year removed from his usual fine work. He finished 2020 with just 36 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown. But, in 2019, he notched 88 receptions for 916 yards and six TDs. And, in 2018, he earned All-Pro honors, cementing himself as one of the league’s very best TEs. There should be plenty of interest in Ertz, though teams know that the Eagles are in something of a bind. He’s got one year left on his current deal, counting $12.4MM against the books. Trading or cutting him would save the Eagles almost $5MM in cap space and they need all of the breathing room they can get.
For his part, Ertz is growing “increasingly impatient” as things drag on, according to Pelissero. One way or another, it sounds like there will be a resolution before the end of the week.
Multiple Teams Calling On Zach Ertz, Deal Coming Soon?
It looks like the offseason of change for the Eagles is continuing full steam ahead. “Multiple teams” have contacted Philadelphia to express interest in trading for tight end Zach Ertz, and a deal “could happen in the coming days,” sources told Mike Silver of NFL Network (Twitter link).
This isn’t exactly a shock, as we heard last month that the veteran was expecting to either be traded or released and not return to Philly in 2021. Ertz had previously said in January that he wanted to be back with the Eagles. Ertz had a very bumpy 2020 campaign that saw him get into a heated argument with GM Howie Roseman over his frustration with extension talks. Philadelphia reportedly considered trading him at the deadline, but an ankle injury he suffered around that time nixed that.
The team clearly didn’t want to pay him the top of the tight end market money he’s looking for, and in their minds they’ve got his replacement waiting in the wings in the younger Dallas Goedert. Ertz has one more season left on his current deal with an $8.25MM salary and $12.4MM cap hit. Trading or cutting him would save the Eagles almost $5MM in cap space, but also leave almost $8MM in dead money.
Ertz is 30 now and is coming off easily his worst season as a pro, but he made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and was a first-team All-Pro in 2018. As such, it’s not hard to see why there’s legit trade interest in him. His struggles this past season were likely due more to the Eagles’ passing game woes as a whole than anything he was doing wrong.
In 11 games, he finished with only 36 catches for 335 yards and one touchdown. In 2019 he had 88 catches for 916 yards and six touchdowns. It sounds like we should know a lot more about where he’ll be playing next season very soon.
Zach Ertz Expecting Eagles Exit
Zach Ertz clashed with Eagles brass and endured his worst NFL season in 2020, but the Pro Bowl tight end said last month he wants to stay in Philadelphia. It appears that is unlikely.
The eight-year tight end is bracing to be traded or released in the near future, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This comes as the quarterback who has thrown the most passes to Ertz throughout his career is on course to leave Philly as well.
Carson Wentz, however, remains an Eagle. Momentum for a Wentz trade appears to have stalled, with the Eagles’ Matthew Stafford-esque asking price not being met. But, one way or another, Wentz and Ertz are on track to be elsewhere next season.
Ertz, 30, caught just 36 passes for a career-low 335 yards and one touchdown last season. The three-time Pro Bowler and NFL single-season record holder for receptions by a tight end (116 in 2018) both struggled and battled injury, missing time due to a high ankle sprain. Coming into the season, Ertz and the Eagles broke off extension talks. He and GM Howie Roseman engaged in a heated discussion at a practice, with the Eagles’ lack of interest in giving Ertz Travis Kelce– or George Kittle–level money likely factoring into this breakdown. The Eagles have Dallas Goedert as a younger option, but he is now heading into a contract year.
The Eagles restructured Ertz’s through-2021 contract twice, most recently in 2019. As a result, they would incur $7MM-plus in dead cap charges if they released Ertz. A Wentz trade will cost Philly a record $33MM in dead money. Ertz is due an $8.25MM salary next season, should the Eagles find a taker for his contract. Only the Saints have a worse cap situation, as of Saturday, with the Eagles projected to be more than $45MM over the 2021 salary ceiling.
This Date In Transactions History: Eagles Sign TE Zach Ertz To Extension
With Zach Ertz coming off a career year and about to enter the final year of his rookie contract, the Eagles decided to back up the Brinks truck on this date five years ago. On January 25th, 2016, Philly signed their star tight end to a five-year extension (including an option for the final year).
The 35th-overall pick in the 2013 draft built off strong rookie and sophomore years and put together a breakout campaign in 2015. Ertz established himself as quarterback Sam Bradford‘s favorite target, hauling in 75 receptions for 853 yards and two touchdowns. As a result of his continued improvement, the Eagles committed to the then-25-year-old through the 2021 season.
Ertz ended up inking a five-year, $42.5MM deal that included $20MM in guaranteed money. At the time, his new $8.5MM AAV ranked fourth in the NFL among tight ends (behind Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, and Rob Gronkowski; the deal still ranked seventh this season behind George Kittle, Travis Kelce, Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, Kyle Rudolph, and Gronk in 2020). The deal officially kicked in during the 2017 season, following the completion of Ertz’s rookie contract.
“Nothing could make me happier than knowing I’m going to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for years to come,” Ertz wrote at the time (on his blog).
The Eagles were also happy with the extension, at least temporarily. Ertz made a Pro Bowl in each of the first three years of his extension, including a 2018 campaign where he set the record for most receptions by a tight end in a single season (116, which went along with career-highs in receiving yards (1,163) and touchdowns (eight, tie)).
Following another Pro Bowl appearance in 2019, the Eagles predictably picked up Ertz’s option for the 2021 campaign, and it was assumed that the two sides would work on an extension throughout the 2020 campaign. However, following months of inaction, Philly’s extension offer came in lower than expected, putting an “abrupt halt” to the negotiations.
Things went a bit downhill after that; Ertz expressed doubt that the Eagles wanted to keep him long-term, and the tight end reportedly engaged in a shouting match with general manager Howie Roseman following a September practice. To add insult to injury (pun wasn’t really intended), Ertz landed on IR in late October. In total, Ertz finished the 2020 campaign having hauled in 36 receptions for 335 yards and one touchdown, all career-lows. At the end of the season, the veteran indicated that he’d still be open to sticking around Philly.
Ertz’s extension, signed five years ago, is looking like it won’t have the desired ending that both sides had hoped for back in 2016. Still, considering Ertz’s production between 2017-2019 and his continued standing as one of the NFL’s highest-paid tight ends, you could easily say the deal worked out for both sides.
Zach Ertz Wants To Stay With Eagles
Zach Ertz has been with the Eagles since 2013, and he doesn’t want things to end. In an emotional press conference with reporters, the tight end expressed his desire to stay in Philly for 2021 and beyond.
“I want to be here, even if for some reason something were to happen, maybe I come back at the end,” Ertz said (Twitter link via NFL.com’s James Palmer). “I don’t know what’s going to happen next year. I think this city is the best city to play for…and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. This city means a lot to me and a lot to my family. And I’m thankful.”
Ertz has notched 561 catches for 6.078 yards and 36 touchdowns, all with the Eagles. The Birds would ideally like to bring him back, but their salary cap situation will make it tough to navigate. Ertz is tremendously talented, but he’s also pricey with one year to go on his five-year, $42.5MM deal. Instead of bringing him back, the Eagles could deal Ertz to restock their draft capital and clear dollars off of the books.
Injuries hampered Ertz throughout 2020, capping his 11-game season at just 36 grabs for 335 yards and one score. Still, he’d draw plenty of interest from other teams if he’s put on the block. Before the injury, Ertz was in line for a top-of-the-market extension to join the likes of George Kittle and Travis Kelce ($15MM and $14.3MM AAV, respectively). Now, he’s an intriguing one-year rental.