Roseman: Zach Ertz still in his prime, still under contract

The Zach Ertz trade rumors have been prevalent this offseason, and most who cover the team still expect him to be traded before the start of the 2021 season. Many expected a deal to get done before the NFL Draft. Others thought a trade might go down during the draft. But the draft came and went without even a whisper of an Ertz trade.

So, what now?

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was asked about the Zach Ertz situation during his post-draft press conference with VP of player personnel Andy Weidl and head coach Nick Sirianni. Here is the question from ESPN’s Tim McManus and Roseman’s response:

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Q. [Eagles TE] Zach Ertz is still on the roster. What’s the thought process of holding onto him through free agency and the draft? In your opinion at what point does it become a disservice to the player to hold on to him? (Tim McManus)

HOWIE ROSEMAN: Zach’s a really good player and a really good person, and he’s under contract with the Eagles. At the same time, we have a lot of respect for him and what kind of player he is and what he’s done for our team.

But this isn’t a guy in the twilight of his career. He’s a guy still in his prime. A year ago at this time everyone was talking about where he ranked with the top tight ends in the league.

So we feel really good about the kind of player he is and we have to do what’s best for our team as well and again we have a lot of respect for him and continue to remain a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, if something changes, we’ll update you guys.

Later in the press conference, Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice followed up with another Ertz question:

Q. Getting back to Zach Ertz for a minute, if you were to move on from him, there would be some salary cap benefits if you waited until after June 1. Is that a consideration when you weigh offers and what’s best for the team? (Jimmy Kempski)

HOWIE ROSEMAN: We’re always going to try to do what’s best for the Philadelphia Eagles and we balance that with our relationships with players that we care about. But that’s again like we started this conversation talking about our responsibility is to do what’s best for the team and that’s what it’s about. So I think when you’re talking about this specific situation, that’s not really the consideration. We think Zach’s a good player, a good person and he’s under contract.

What do these quotes mean?

While we already knew this, Howie Roseman all but confirmed that the Eagles are moving on from tight end Zach Ertz. The “he’s still under contract,” “he’s still in his prime,” “he’s a really good player and a really good person” stuff is all Roseman saying they are looking to trade him but that they don’t want to release him or trade him away from peanuts. Whether or not the Eagles are actually able to deal him for something of value remains to be seen.

As Kempski mentions, there is some financial benefit to waiting until after June 1 to trade or release Ertz. In a normal year, those late May OTA workouts could make for an awkward situation, with Ertz either showing up and doing very little or staying away entirely. But with players across the NFL committing to working out on their own until mandatory camp, that situation will be avoided.

At this point, the best-case scenario—and the one Roseman may very well be banking on—is another team getting desperate. Will a team that thought they were going to add a tight end in the draft start to worry about their depth chart? Will a significant injury present a Teddy Bridgewater-Sam Bradford situation? Will a roster crunch at cornerback elsewhere lead to a team swapping a starting veteran CB that the Eagles covet for Ertz?

Any one of those outcomes is possible, but Roseman is clearly playing hardball here. He wants fair value for what he still considers (at least, that is the front he is putting out there) one of the best tight ends in football. And considering the Eagles are in this mess in the first place because Ertz wants a raise, that feels like a fair stance for Roseman to take.

Whether or not he gets anywhere close to the value he is seeking and doesn’t just end up releasing Ertz is another question.

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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.