Zach Ertz will not seek a new contract with the team with which he is about to be negotiated, according to the NFL Network.
Mike Garafolo reported on Tuesday afternoon that Ertz is doing well in the last year of his current contract in 2021 and betting on himself to have a recovery season.
Ertz is scheduled to earn $ 8.25 million in 2021 in the last year of a five-year extension and $ 42.5 million that he signed with the Eagles in 2016.
This is interesting information because it was Ertz’s desire for a new contract that led to the deterioration of his relationship with the Eagles before the start of last season.
In September, the Pro Bowl’s three-time tight end publicly expressed its frustration with the Eagles after negotiations for a long-term deal failed with both sides distant.
“I always said that I want to stay here for a long time,” he said at the time. “I’m not sure if that feeling is mutual.”
Ertz, 30, averaged 82 catches for 879 yards and 5 TDs from 2014 to 2019 and with a year remaining in his last off-season he was looking for a deal that would put him not far from the $ 14 a year annual averages $ 15 million that Travis Kelce and George Kittle had raised.
But the Eagles’ best offer was below $ 11 million a year, and when the 2020 season started, it seemed clear that it would be Ertz’s last season with the Eagles.
His struggles on the field, aggravated by an ankle injury that cost him five games, resulted in a bad career season and likely reduced his value to less than what the Eagles had offered.
Because of his struggles last year and the unknowns involved in acquiring a 30-year tight end out of a bad year, it would not be realistic for Ertz to expect a team that acquired him to give him a multi-year contract extension with a considerable amount of money guaranteed.
But if Ertz has a decent recovery year in 2021, he will position himself for the big deal that is waiting for the next off-season.
The Patriots agreed to the terms of the contract on Monday with Jonnu Smith and on Tuesday with Hunter Henry, giving Smith a four-year contract averaging $ 12.5 million and Henry a three-year contract averaging $ 12 ,5 million. Neither has ever made a Pro Bowl or had 700 yards in one season.
For comparison, Smith has fewer catches in his career (114) than Ertz had in 2018 (118), and he never had a 500 yard season. Henry has an average of 49 catches in 580 yards over his four seasons.
Both are younger than Ertz – Smith is 25, Henry 26 – but if Ertz has only an average season for Zach Ertz – say 70 receptions for 700 yards – he would win a big contract in 2022, be it the team he’s dealing with now or as a free agent.
In addition, 8 1/2 million is not exactly a minimum wage. Even though Ertz believes he is underpaid, he is still the sixth biggest in the NFL among the tight ends, averaging $ 8.5 million.
Meanwhile, Garafolo reported that the Eagles are “taking too long” to finalize a negotiation, as they continue to seek as much compensation as possible.
The Patriots certainly helped the Eagles by snapping up two of the strong points of the best free agents, because it created yet another sales market. Ertz will have a new home soon.
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