Are the Eagles close to trading Zach Ertz?

This is the story that won’t go away, at least while tight end Zach Ertz is still on the roster. The rumors date back to last offseason, when it was reported that Ertz wanted a new contract but he and the team couldn’t agree to terms on an extension. Tensions were high. Ertz was seen in what appeared to be a verbal altercation with Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.

But then nothing happened.

The season started. The Eagles were bad. And Zach Ertz got hurt and missed time, including around the NFL trade deadline.

Heading into this offseason, everyone in the world assumed Ertz would be traded. And if nothing came to fruition on the trade market, most figured he would just be released for the cap savings. Back in March, it was reported that a deal could happen in the coming days.

But again, nothing happened.

Back in May, Roseman was asked about Ertz and said the veteran tight end was “still in his prime and still under contract.” In other words, Roseman hadn’t received a trade offer that he liked yet but had no plans of releasing Ertz.

Since then, there have been whispers, but it has been mostly quiet on the Ertz front.

Then, today, Eagles legendary play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese went on The National Football Show and dropped this little nugget on us:

“The word today is that they are very close to a deal and I don’t have any inside information to substantiate this, but the word is that they’re close to a deal with Buffalo for Zach Ertz,” Reese told Sileo. “I believe you have as much chance of being on this roster as Zach Ertz in a few weeks.”

Now, this is a move that has been speculated about for months. But Reese is plugged in with the Eagles, so him saying this out loud is something worth paying attention to. The Bills are a playoff team with a young quarterback who would love to have a weapon like Ertz, and the Eagles need to see what they have in Dallas Goedert, who is due for a contract extension of his own. On paper, it’s a perfect fit. But for whatever reason, a deal hasn’t happened yet.

Here is a link to the full clip of Reese on The National Football Show:

Update: Merrill Reese spoke to SI.com’s Nick Fierro and said his “report” was a bit of a misunderstanding. Reese was interviewed nearly two weeks ago and not the day that the video was published, and he was merely repeating the same rumors that everyone else was hearing. Reese’s wordage and the release date of the video made this seem like it was a new report, but that apparently isn’t the case.

* * *

Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz and Juiced Ball Era. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.