Zach Ertz News: ESPN’s Bill Barnwell predicts the Eagles’ TE will land in AFC East
As the Eagles gather for Phase 3 of their offseason workouts, record-setting tight end Zach Ertz is absent and not expected to report for any team activities.
With June 1 approaching and several deals or transactions expected to take place, ESPN insider, Bill Barnwell shared his predictions on several high-profile players currently in limbo.
According to Barnwell, the Buffalo Bills are the landing spot for Ertz, who’s been given the chance to seek his own trade.
Eagles trade Zach Ertz to … Buffalo Bills
Philadelphia Eagles get: 2022 seventh-round pick, TE Tommy SweeneyIt has become clear that Ertz’s future isn’t in Philadelphia. The Eagles didn’t offer the tight end an extension last season, owing to their cap woes, the presence of Dallas Goedert and what ended up as a disastrous campaign for the veteran. Ertz set career lows across the board in virtually every measure of any kind, a scary sign for a player who just turned 30. On top of all that, Ertz’s $12.7 million cap hit is the largest at his position in 2021.
The Eagles can save $8.5 million in cash and on their 2021 cap by moving on, but Ertz is not going to have a market at that price tag. Ertz would probably be looking at something in the $3 million to $4 million range on a one-year deal if he were released, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he took a pay cut as part of a deal.
Naturally, with coach Frank Reich and QB Carson Wentz in Indianapolis, the Colts have been popularly linked with Ertz. They already have plenty of tight ends, though, and there’s another team I think makes more sense. Bills general manager Brandon Beane proclaimed at the beginning of the offseason that his team needed to upgrade on Dawson Knox at tight end, but the only move Buffalo has made at the position is signing Jacob Hollister to a one-year deal.
Ertz would have to restructure his deal to join Buffalo and he’d essentially be playing on a one-year prove-it style deal with the hopes of cashing out one last time in 2022.
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5 things to watch as the Eagles begin Phase 3 of offseason workouts
