Zach Ertz is one of the most underrated tight ends in NFL history and is currently one of the top TEs in the NFL. Ertz has won a Super Bowl, he’s made three Pro Bowls, and he’s unveiled seven seasons of 700+ receiving yards in his career.

The Eagles legend will soon be facing free agency at 31 years old. Ertz could return to the Arizona Cardinals team that really wants to make Kyler Murray happy and push for their own Super Bowl berth soon.

CBS Sports has listed Ertz as one of the potential free-agent steals in the off-season. It’s clear that he’s a special profile and he could land with another team that’s pushing for a Super Bowl victory. So, where will he sign? Well, here are a few logical landing spots for Ertz.

Arizona Cardinals

I really believe the Cardinals, who made the blockbuster trade for Ertz, will retain the talented Cardinals TE. According to Sports Illustrated, Ertz wants to stay in Arizona. I really believe Ertz, DeAndre Hopkins, and Murray will be taking the field and lighting up defenses in 2022.

He averaged 52.2 yards per game with the Cardinals, which is near his 2019 Pro Bowl season (61.1). I believe the Cardinals should be happy with how he performed, especially given his first year in the scheme and the fact that Murray isn’t a stat machine in the passing game (never thrown 4,000+ passing yards in a season).

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals will not take the gas off the pedal and they shouldn’t (fifth in cap space). The Bengals have been linked to Gronk, but I foresee Gronkowski signing with his former enemy in the Buffalo Bills. The Bengals should ink the talented and slightly younger Ertz to join their shiny arsenal.

The Bengals shouldn’t let the youth on their team fool them. They should capitalize off the production and continuity, particularly on offense with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon playing together. The Bengals clearly need to improve pass protection (most sacks allowed in 2021), but they need to get creative by adding more juice to their offense. They could use a more potent RB2 and TE1. They should see if Ertz is interested in pursuing a Super Bowl ring this offseason.

Seattle Seahawks

Russell Wilson is clearly having mixed emotions with his situation on the Seattle Seahawks. Wilson has D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, but he hasn’t had quality pass protection, a superb running game, or a third receiving option that can take Wilson to the next level. They have Gerald Everett, but he is a free agent in 2022 and it’s safe to say Ertz is a sure-fire upgrade over Everett (who likes to swap teams in the NFC West).

According to Heavy., the Seahawks are projected to sign Ertz, as well. They may try and add a couple of big pieces to push for a Super Bowl in Russell Wilson’s prime. Ertz would make a ton of sense and be a scary chess piece in their offense featuring Metcalf, also known as Megatron 2.0.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles brought back Nick Foles and it clearly paid off, as he led them to a Super Bowl victory. The Eagles might want to bring back the familiar, talented TE, especially when they need more help in playmakers. Dallas Goedert might have half driven Ertz out of town, but they can have a more robust plan to utilize two talented TEs and make them both satisfied in 2022.

Jalen Reagor is struggling so much that Justin Jefferson feels bad for him. He is in fact a WR, but they could use more playmaking ability in their offense from the slot. Ertz might even take less money to re-sign with Philly if there’s mutual interest.

New York Giants

The New York Giants ought to be seen as the best wildcard team to ink Ertz. They will likely split with the veteran Evan Engram (2022 FA) this offseason. The Giants recently cut veteran TE Kyle Rudolph, too. It’s clear they need a major upgrade at their TE position.

The Giants haven’t completely pulled the plug on their offense and key profiles just yet. They still feature Saquon Barkley, Kadarius Toney, and Kenny Golladay in their offensive attack. If Daniel Jones has an elite TE in his current offense, they would really give him a fine opportunity to prove himself and potentially lead them to an NFC East title next season.

Honorable mentions:

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have a confusing outlook. Within a few months, they could either have Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, or their QB/WR combo could both be out of town. I would like to see Tae get franchise tagged and then Matt LaFleur to bring in a fancy weapon for their offense. I would expect Rodgers to also stay if they retain Tae and add a profile like Zach Ertz. The Pro Bowl TE could also be in awe of the idea of playing with the 2020 and 2021 NFL MVP. The Packers also have a question mark at TE position, as rumors of cutting Robert Tonyan have surfaced. I expect the Packers to be aggressive in free agency, as Rodgers is really flirting with picking a different team to join.

New Orleans Saints

The bold Sean Payton may not be in the Big Easy, but the ultra-creative Mickey Loomis still resides in New Orleans. The Saints might be cap-strapped, but I don’t think they will go “quietly into that good night”. They are certainly trying to win a Super Bowl with arguably the most well-balanced NFL roster. Loomis might be thrilled about passing up on the big-name free agent wide receivers and reeling in a major TE weapon like Ertz to play with Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and Jameis Winston. Ertz would also be a significant upgrade over TE Adam Trautman.

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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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