By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
Zach Ertz played for the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football. That would be his final game with the team.
He has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals on Friday. The trade came less than 24 hours after the Eagles lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lincoln Financial Field.
The long-time Eagle was traded for cornerback Tay Gowan. The Eagles also receive a 2022 fifth-round draft pick.
“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 none seasons in Philadelphia,” Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said.
Ertz did not believe that he would play for the Eagles this season. Dating back to last season, he thought he was going to be moved.
In fact, Ertz and center Jason Kelce had a bet this summer. Kelce lost the bet and had to dye his hair blonde as Ertz was not moved before the beginning of the season.
Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman elected to keep the tight end until he could find the right deal for the team. The 30-year-old had several teams interested in his services before this trade.
Ertz had four receptions with Dallas Goedert out due to COVID-19 protocols in the loss to the Buccaneers. He had 29 yards on those receptions with a touchdown.
He goes to a team that is stacked offensively in the Cardinals. However, head coach Kliff Kingsbury has not typically used a tight end much.
This season, Cardinals starter Maxx Williams did have 16 targets each in Week 2 and Week 4 from Kyler Murray. Last weekend, he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the San Francisco 49ers.
Ertz should make his debut with the Cardinals in Week 7 against the Houston Texans.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Goedert — who also drew trade interest before the upcoming trade deadline — will see an increase in passing routes with Ertz in the desert. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has been a pass-happy coach since the season started.
With the Eagles, Ertz has had 579 receptions for 6,267 yards. He also had 38 touchdown receptions.
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