Tight End Market Could be Loosening for Zach Ertz
The New England Patriots have been relentless since free agency began on Monday with the legal tampering period.
The league year doesn’t begin until Wednesday but already it seems that the Patriots are intent on claiming the crown of free agent champions. How that translates once the 2021 season begins remains to be seen, rarely does that translate to February Super Bowl champions, but, hey Tom Brady did it last year with the Buccaneers. Brady, of course, is the exception to so many rules.
As it is, they signed two former Eagles, receiver Nelson Agholor and defensive back Jalen Mills, and tight end Jonnu Smith to a four-year, $50 million deal. There were others, but those are three worth noting.
On Tuesday, the Pats were back at it signing yet another tight end, former Chargers standout Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million contract with $25M guaranteed. Apparently, head coach Bill Belichick wants to return to the glory days of his two tight end sets – 12 personnel – when Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez created mismatches all over the field.
How does all this moving and grooving impact the Eagles?
Well, two of the top tight-end free agents are now off the market, and both have gone to the same team.
This can only serve to help general manager Howie Roseman’s demand for compensation for his three-time Pro Bowl TE, Zach Ertz.
Roseman still has some tinkering to do to get to the salary cap mandate of $182.5M and he must be at that number by 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Ideally, Roseman will go even lower in order to be some kind of player in the free-agent market.
Parting ways with Ertz would shed $4.9M.
He is due $8.5M in 2021, the final year of his contract that is suddenly looking like a potential bargain compared to what Smith and Henry are being paid.
NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday that Roseman is trying to extract a third-round pick, a fourth-round pick at minimum.
As SI.com’s Eagle Maven has reported for weeks now, conversations have taken place with the Colts Seahawks, and Chargers, and the Ravens and Packers made offers at last year’s trade deadline.
Critics will point to Ertz’s down year in 2020 and that he missed five games with a high ankle sprain, but there were certainly some extenuating circumstances surrounding Ertz’s subpar season, most of which have been well chronicled.
Now, a team could be playing a game of chicken with Roseman, knowing that the GM will cut him anyway then hope to prepare their best offer for the free agent.
Would Roseman choose not to blink and hold on to Ertz beyond the start of the new league year?
That would not make Ertz happy, and perhaps he deserves better after a standout eight seasons with the Eagles, but it’s a business after all, and Roseman wants to make the best deal he possibly can, so sitting tight beyond Wednesday could be in play.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
