Marketplace for Zach Ertz Shifted a Bit with Hunter Henry Decision

The market for Eagles tight end Zach Ertz was impacted by Tuesday’s deadline for NFL teams to apply a franchise tag on a player with an expiring contract passed at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

The decision by the Los Angeles Chargers not to tag Hunter Henry injects a premium talent into the premium aisle of the free-agent store.

Henry was one of the favorite targets for LA rookie quarterback Justin Herbert last year, catching 60 passes for 613 yards and four touchdowns. Even the year before Herbert, when Phillip Rivers was behind center, Henry had 55 receptions for 652 yards and five TDs.

Plus, Henry is just 26.

Ertz, of course, is not yet a free agent.

The Eagles are still trying to find a taker for him to recoup something – anything – for their three-time Pro Bowl tight end.

Something will happen soon. It has to because the NFL’s new league year begins on March 17, less than 10 days from now, and the Eagles need to find money to trim from a salary cap that came down ever so slightly with word on Wednesday morning that the salary cap will be $182.5M, up $2.5M from previous estimates.

Still, however, it is much lower than last year's number of $198.2M.

That leaves the Eagles about $32M over the cap.

With the cap now set, expect some moves by the Eagles heading into the weekend.

The Eagles released defensive tackle Treyvon Hester and safety Blake Countess on Tuesday, but that doesn’t get them any closer to becoming cap compliant and going low enough to be at least able to shop in the discount section of free agency.

As for Ertz, he wants what Henry has – the right to pick his team.

That would mean the Eagles would have to cut him and get nothing back.

The NFL Network’s Mike Silver reported on Monday that several quarterbacks are reaching out to Ertz to get him to come play for them.

The Colts' Carson Wentz would be a good guess as to who one of those quarterbacks is. The two were teammates, after all, for the last five years.

“Some of the league's best quarterbacks are actively recruiting him for what that’s worth,” Silver said on NFL Network on Monday afternoon.

“Zach Ertz has a lot of friends in the NFL. He’s been selected to three Pro Bowls, he’s been one of the league’s top players. Quarterbacks know what a difference he has made in the past and they believe he’s still got plenty left. That doesn’t necessarily mean that offers will follow but he’s definitely looking for the best possible situation, not just in terms of money but revitalizing that career and trying to get another ring.”

Quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson are probably right there with Wentz trying to get Ertz to come play for them. They are in Ertz's friendship circle.

Again, though, the Eagles have to cut him, or they could be trying to work with Ertz to see which top three teams he would like to play for then try to swing a deal.

With Henry gone from LA, maybe the Chargers would make the list.

Ertz would certainly be a good candidate to go play with Herbert and a Chargers team that could be on the rise with a new head coach in Brandon Staley.

Either way – trade or release – the Eagles will save a $4.9M charge to the cap when Ertz leaves, and whichever way the Eagles go here, they will go very soon.

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.