Zach Ertz Negotiations Stall, as Eagles Reportedly Make Low Offer
PHILADELPHIA - Significant salary-cap issues are looming for the Eagles in 2021 and that reality has met head-on with the explosion of the tight end market, an imperfect storm when it comes to contract negotiations with Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz.
According to NFL Media, negotiations between the organization and Ertz on a potential extension broke off last week after the Eagles followed up a team-friendly extension offer that was turned down last season with a follow-up that was even worse from a player perspective.
"Negotiations between the Eagles and TE Zach Ertz came to an abrupt halt when PHI made an offer that had less guaranteed money than their offer in November," Ian Rapoport reported on Twitter. "The backloaded offer also had less cash over the next 4 seasons annually than Austin Hooper’s Browns' contract."
Philadelphia was hopeful of getting something done last season with Ertz, understanding the market would be reshaped once George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs got their new deals, something that happened last month.
Ertz reportedly turned down the Eagles' advances last November because he wanted to see how the contracts played out with Kittle and Kelce. Now, the bar has been set, and Ertz wants what he believes he has coming to him.
When contract talks kickstarted again with Ertz it was believed that he would settle in as No. 3 on the totem pole, but the Eagles have seemingly low-balled a player who has had historic numbers as a receiving tight end to date and will likely become the franchise's all-time receptions leader in 2020 if healthy.
Ertz still has two years remaining on a five-year extension signed in 2016 that was worth $42.5 million. He’s currently set to count almost $12.5M million against the salary cap in each of the next two seasons.
The biggest complication for the Eagles is the 2021 cap which is expected to dip dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic hammering league finances this season. That, coupled with the knowledge that Philadelphia has a second tight end who is going to be in line for a big-money extension in Dallas Goedert, and you have the ingredients for a tough decision.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection who caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LII, and the preceding fourth-down conversation that former offensive coordinator Frank Reich told SI EagleMaven was the biggest play in the entire game, Ertz has produced more receptions (525) than any other NFL TE through their first seven seasons.
He currently ranks second on the Eagles’ all-time receptions list, trailing only HOFer Harold Carmichael (589) and in 2018, Ertz set the NFL single-season record for receptions by a TE with 116.
Set to turn 30 in November, Ertz is still in his prime with a chip on his shoulder considering most outside observers mention players like Kittle, Kelce, and Tampa Bay’s Rob Gronkowski as the league's best, leaving Ertz mostly an afterthought in those kinds of discussions.
"I do consider myself in that upper echelon, in that same tier of guys. I don’t mean disrespect, but I think a lot of guys in this building feel the same way about me," Ertz said last month. "I’m never in the business of comparing people.”
Ertz does seem to be using the perceived slight as fuel to continue his run of historic numbers, however.
“I think all (the top TEs) are all at the top of our games, and I think we’re all perfect in the offense that we play in, honestly,” he said. “I think we all have unique skill sets, we’re all very different but with some similarities. Overall, I don’t think my game is any less than any of those guys.”
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
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