Eagles: Zach Ertz proves he’s a team player
We’ve found yet another reason to like Zach Ertz.
You’ve heard about it for quite some time and before free agency was really on the horizon. There was constant talk about salary cap issues. Questions were asked.
What type of impact will the Philadelphia Eagles have during the free agency period? Where will they get money to sign players? Some even asked if they’d even have enough money to sign draft picks. As it turns out, Zach Ertz recently made headlines for his desire to be a part of the solution.
Some of you may have already heard, but thanks to a report by ESPN, we now know the Eagles tight end voluntarily restructured his contract to help free up some money to assist the Eagles as they move through this process.
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We live in an era where we constantly berate the men who seem to put their desire for excess over the good of the team and scoff at others who try to squeeze every penny out of their employers (a trait many possess but is only seen as a flaw if you’re a professional athlete). As a result, acts like the one we just witnessed by Ertz go unnoticed.
Believe it or not, Ertz is one of the elder statesmen on the team now. Yes, it feels like he was just drafted yesterday, but prior to last season, he signed his second contract in the NFL. One year later, in light of the Eagles and their cap issues, Ertz showed leadership by agreeing to restructure.
Here’s what we know:
The move basically takes Ertz’s base salary this season, roughly $3.225 million, and turns it into a roster bonus. That saves the team $2.58 million in cap space. The Eagles now have about $5 million in room.
These numbers don’t reflect newly reacquired backup quarterback Nick Foles and his two-year, $11 million dollar salary. The Eagles will see the draft held in their city, and it appears they’ll be looking to divy whatever they have remaining among the new class of Eagles they bring in.
It appears, unless someone is released, they’re done making any other moves this off-season.