Eagles Legend Zach Ertz Traded to Cardinals
After a shaky start to their season the Philadelphia Eagles traded their veteran tight end Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a fifth round draft pick and cornerback Tay Gowan.
Zach Ertz was drafted out of Stanford in 2013 with the 34th overall pick. Over his career with the birds he racked up over 579 receptions (2nd all time in Eagles history), 6,267 yards, and 38 touchdowns. He is also a three time Pro Bowler.
Perhaps the most memorable moment of his career was on the biggest stage as he scored the game winning touchdown to give the Eagles their first ever Super Bowl during the 2017 season. He also broke the all time single season reception record in 2018, previously held by Jason Witten.
the Eagles the lead in Super Bowl 52
Ertz never seemed to be on board about the potential trade, even dating back to rumors over the offseason. Despite the Eagles drafting Dallas Goedert in 2018, and Ertz below average offensive production over the past two seasons, it’s going to be tough to replace the energy, passion and stability Zach Ertz provided to his team. But as the cliché goes, the NFL is a business.
“This is the place I want to be,” Ertz said on Sept. 1. “This is the place I want to retire.”
But General Manager Howie Roseman and Ertz were unable to agree on a long term contract. Roseman told the media on Friday that he didn’t want people to think the Eagles were just going to “sell” going into the trade deadline, despite the implications of this trade.
Zach Ertz replied to the trade by telling Eagles fans “Thanks for everything,”
One benefit for him is that he will go from a struggling 2-4 Eagles team to a 5-0 team in Arizona, the only undefeated team remaining in the NFL today. But Zach Ertz will always be remembered as a legendary player in his time playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.
