The Philadelphia Eagles have traded their Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals. In return, Philly received rookie corner Tay Gowan and a future fifth-round pick.
The Eagles detailed the trade on Friday via their social media.
Philadelphia had two star tight ends in Ertz and Dallas Goedert to enter the 2021 NFL season, and it became clear that one of them might be out before the trade deadline. Several teams inquired to see which one was the odd man out, and it turned out to be Ertz.
The Cardinals became active on the market earlier this week after losing TE Maxx Williams to a season-ending injury. Ertz is obviously a major upgrade and probably the best option they could find at the moment.
The only issue for Arizona is that Ertz is currently in the final year of his contract and is looking to land a major extension that would place him among the highest-paid players at the position. The two sides haven’t discussed a deal before the trade took place, but that is expected to be one of the major talking points once the 30-year-old officially joins the franchise.
Zach Ertz made three Pro Bowls with the Philadelphia Eagles and has been considered one of the best tight ends for years. He has 579 career receptions for 6,267 yards and 60 touchdowns. In 2018, Ertz set the NFL’s record for most catches by a TE in a single season with 116.
“He will always be a member of the Eagles family, not only because of what he accomplished on the field, but also because of the wonderful person, dedicated leader, and exemplary role model that he was for nine seasons in Philadelphia,” said Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie of Ertz’s departure.
