The Philadelphia Eagles might owe Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots a steak dinner with the way they’ve kicked off the free agency period.
It’s well-known how much Belichick likes a serviceable tight end. His best teams during the Tom Brady era had those ultimate security blankets. They lacked that last season with Cam Newton trying to take the reigns from Brady, who went to Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl.
New England’s pass offense slowed down while the franchise’s stronghold on the AFC East finally ended.
On Monday and Tuesday, though, the Patriots have gone on a spending spree, highlighted by the signing of two tight ends in Jonu Smith and Hunter Henry — two of the best players available at their position on the free-agent market.
The rest of the tight-end market in free agency isn’t much to write home about, meaning the Eagles could be on the precipice of cashing in on a deal for Zach Ertz.
One of the franchise’s all-time greats at the position, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time that Ertz’s tenure with the Eagles is coming to an end this offseason. He has one year left on his current contract before hitting free agency and when healthy, is one of the better pass-catching tight ends in all of football.
The Eagles are reportedly looking for a third or fourth-round draft pick in return for Ertz, which shouldn’t be much of an issue considering how thin the tight end market now is and how desperate teams could be to address the position.
One of the more logical fits for Ertz is the Indianapolis Colts where he can reunite with Frank Reich and Carson Wentz.
The 30-year-0ld is growing impatient with the Eagles’ lack of action involving his future, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Sunday.
“With multiple teams having shown interest in a trade, I’m told Ertz has grown increasingly impatient with the team to get something done,” Pelissero said. “To this point, the price has just been too high for other teams. The Eagles have been looking for a draft pick — something in the third, maybe fourth-round range.”
That tune might be changing with Henry and Smith off the board and on their way to New England, though, meaning Ertz may get his wish of a fresh start sooner rather than later.
