Philadelphia Eagles debate table: 4 Arguments to support trading Zach Ertz
1. The Philadelphia Eagles financial books are in bad shape.
The Eagles have been opening their checkbooks in recent seasons, seemingly with no thought of how it will affect them later. This offseason alone, they signed defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, traded for Darius Slay, and rewarded him with a handsome extension.
They’ve also brought back Jason Peters and Vinny Curry in recent weeks. Their deals may not be as rich as some of the others the Eagles have offered in free agency, but they’ll still get substantially more than the veteran’s minimum.
The Eagles may not be able to keep handing out the money as often as they do, at least until they clear up the issues with 2021’s cap number. They’re projected to be $51.3 million over next year, and the 2020 regular season hasn’t even started. This isn’t one of those ‘good problem to have’ scenarios either. Philly will be paying veterans whose level of play no longer matches their compensation. They’ll also carry plenty of dead money. Even if the Eagles wanted to pay Ertz, they likely won’t be able to do it until some of that gets taken care of.
Some of you would say this. ‘Just give him a juicy signing bonus, prorate the hit and add a couple fluff years’. While it sounds like a good idea on the surface, unfortunately, that’s precisely how team vice president and general manager Howie Roseman has gotten Philly into such a dire financial conundrum.
The short-term benefits and the relief will always be a welcomed sight, but they’ve, in a sense, placed a band-aid on the issue. Think of it like this Howie’s been shopping with a credit card, and now the bill’s due. This team is going to have to part with some good players.
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The Eagles archrivals, the Dallas Cowboys, had a similar situation when they kept restructuring quarterback Tony Romo’s contract. Once his salary cap hit got so high that they couldn’t keep ignoring the issue back any longer, they took the hit and conversely, cut one of their best players, All-Pro linebacker DeMarcus Ware. At some point, this has to get fixed for the Eagles, and trading Zach Ertz could give them a head start on practicing some healthy financial habits.