By: Jacob Keppen

Who would’ve thought just a short few years ago that the Eagles would be in this situation with Zach Ertz? Ertz seemed like a guy that would do midnight green for the rest of his career, retiring to the adulation of the fans for who he won a Super Bowl. Just like with his quarterback Carson Wentz, the situation rapidly deteriorated over the past two years. 

The squabble between the team and Ertz started with what seemed to be a minor contract dispute, a minor dispute that has snowballed into a seemingly inevitable divorce. It seemed as though that separation was going to happen at the beginning of last year, with the internal problems becoming public at the beginning of the season.

The two sides managed to delay the contract talks another year, with Ertz focusing on the game last year. With Ertz coming off his career, those contract talks now just trade talks. The divorce seems inevitable, many expecting Ertz to never suit up for the Eagles again after last season. What if the separation doesn’t happen quite just yet. What if Ertz was willing to play one more season for the Eagles, just as he did last season?

Of course, if the situation with Ertz is at that level of toxicity that you have to remove him, you do so. If not, why not just keep Zach Ertz? 

Every young quarterback needs a reliable go-to target, especially early in their career. As they’re still going through their growing pains, having a weapon that can consistently get it done is a blessing. Zach Ertz might never be the player he was in his prime. He might not be a guy who can be counted on to haul in 100 passes or be the top 3 tight ends he was for the Eagles in his prime. What Ertz can be is a solid, reliable pair of hands who can work off of some dynamic weapons in Devonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. He can continue to be the safety valve for the Eagles and young Jalen Hurts.

The logic of having to trade Zach Ertz while you still have a chance do does make some sense. Zach Ertz has only one year left on his deal. After this season he is free to leave and negotiate with teams on his own terms. Sure he will be a year older and maybe the market won’t be the best for him, but he will have the ultimate final say in the next Post-Philadelphia chapter of his career. For the Eagles though, they would get nothing. Ertz walks and goes to another team, and Philadelphia receives nothing in return for their fan-favorite tight end.

Conventional logic states that the Eagles would be fools not to try and get something for Ertz now. Unless they were bringing him back, they would’ve already penned a new deal by now, they should try getting something in a trade for Ertz.

What are the Eagles realistically going to get in return though? Zach Ertz will be turning 31 this year? He’s starting the downturn of his career. Last season after pretty much betting on himself to earn a contract that would pay him like an elite tight end, he had the worst season of his career. In 11 games, Ertz only managed to put up 335 receiving yards and a single touchdown. He’s aging, coming off the worst year of his career, is pretty much known at this point to want to move on from Philadelphia, and only has a year left on his contract. Any team that wants him can get him next year in free agency, giving up no assets. 

If the situation isn’t as dire as made out to be in the media, and Ertz would be willing to gut it out one more season, his value as an experienced player who’s won a Super Bowl and can be a reliable target for Jalen Hurts is greater than whatever late-round pick the Eagles can get in return.

The post Why keeping Zach Ertz might not be the worst idea appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The departure of TE Zach Ertz from the Philadelphia Eagles seems inevitable, but at this point trade talks have dwindled. The Eagles asking price may be too high for opposing teams to pull the trigger on a trade, but when a team lands Ertz, they will be getting a difference maker.

Ertz has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL since 2015, and he could play a major role on a winning team. He is 30 years old and his 6’5 frame makes him a formidable red zone target. He is coming off an extremely disappointing 2020 campaign, but there was turmoil surrounding the Eagles and their quarterback situation that made it impossible for him to succeed.

He is a 3x Pro Bowler, First-Team All-Pro (2018) and a Super Bowl champion. He has 561 catches, 6078 yards and 36 career touchdowns and would be an immediate weapon for a team searching for a tight end.

Considering how inconsistent his quarterback play has been, he has surpassed expectations and has been a model of consistency. His best season of his career thus far was 2018, the year following the Eagles Super Bowl victory. He hauled in 116 catches, 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.

These are three teams that are in need of a tight end, that would benefit immensely from an Ertz trade.

1. Green Bay Packers

The Packers trading for Ertz is not their priority with all of the uncertainty surrounding their star QB Aaron Rodgers. Part of the reason Rodgers is not happy with the organization is their lack of weapons, and commitment to helping Rodgers out on the offensive side of the ball. Ertz could go a long way in showing Rodgers how committed the Packers are, and Ertz would thrive in that offense. Ertz has never had a QB the caliber of Rodgers, and this could allow Ertz to get back to his dominant ways. This would make WR Davante Adams happy and take some of the pressure off of him, and give him more room to operate.

2. Buffalo Bills

The Bills are emerging as one of the best young teams in the NFL, led by QB Josh Allen. Their offense is dynamic, but they severely lack production from the TE position. The Bills will have to try and keep up with the loaded Kansas City Chiefs if they want to make a run at a Super Bowl, which means they should never be content with their roster. Adding a TE like Ertz would take a lot of pressure of WRs Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley. This would make the Bills one of the most potent offenses in the NFL, and they would be impossible to stop. Opposing defensive coordinators already got a glimpse of how great Allen and this offense could be, and adding a former Super Bowl champion TE could take this offense to another level.

3. Tennesse Titans

The Titans are in need of a playmaker on offense to pair with WR A.J. Brown. TE Delanie Walker is no longer in Tennessee, which leaves an opening for Ertz to come in and take over as the lead TE. The Titans also lost WR Corey Davis in free agency, and their main focus in the offseason was addressing their defensive issues, but they should be all in on pursuing Ertz. He would fit their scheme perfectly and would be QB Ryan Tannehill’s best friend from day one.

All three of these teams could use the services of Ertz, along with many others. It has been quite on the trade front for a long time now, but with OTAs starting up and training camp right around the corner, an Ertz trade will happen sooner rather than later.

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