Lengthy Eagles negotiations with Zach Ertz not a cause for concern

There’s no need to stress over Zach Ertz’s lengthy contract discussions with the Philadelphia Eagles. They’ll do all that they can to do right by their star tight end.

Well, at this point in our football lives, we all know how this stuff works. Teams have players. Those players want money because they put their bodies on the line, and at times, there are impasses in contract negotiations. Just take what’s currently reportedly going on with the Philadelphia Eagles and their All-World tight end, Zach Ertz.

Take a poll among NFL fans, and they’ll, more than likely, tell you that Ertz is in the conversation of being one of the three best tight ends in the game. Most probably place Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs in the top spot in the top spot, George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers in the second spot, and Ertz as the third guy. That’s a nice trio.

Currently, on 86’s deal, two years remain (2020 and 2021). Ertz is due $12.4 million in 2020. Philly has a potential out after the current season. Ertz is due to make another $12.7 million in 2021 if the ‘Birds’ don’t exercise that out.

By now, if you heard the report by the NFL Network’s Michael Silver or if you’ve just looked around the internet, you’ve all heard that Philly offered an extension during the 2019 season to their three-time Pro Bowler. Ertz apparently declined to sign it, and what’s resulted has been a wave of opinion, some of it worth hearing and most of it unnecessary, but when one of the greatest players in Eagles history has a brewing contract dispute, people tend to take notice.

This one isn’t a huge cause for worry. This is just a part of the process.

Howie Roseman and these Eagles have done a nice job of extending core guys that contribute to their success, except for Malcolm Jenkins of course. They’ve also done a nice job of restructuring guys during times of financial distress. Typically, however, as we’ve seen with Carson Wentz‘s deal, those deals have always been team-friendly.

Ertz knows his value. This is how contract negotiations work. Philly has to do what’s best for the team. Ertz has to do what’s best for Ertz. Keep in mind the fact that this may be the final big-money deal of his career. There will be rumors of trades, and there is a possibility that we may see one, even if that’s something Philly will do later rather than sooner. Make no mistake though. If Roseman and the Eagles get their wish, Ertz will be an Eagle one way or another.

Philadelphia seems confident with both Dallas Goedert and Joshua Perkins, and if the Eagles organization decides they won’t give Ertz what he desires, they’ll, no doubt, get a player of comparable value or some nice draft capital or both. It’s not like they’re going to move on from the league’s third-best tight end and get crumbs as compensation. We’ll see how things evolve over the course of the coming weeks.