Did emotional Ertz just play his last game in Philly? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Zach Ertz was noticeably emotional as he walked off the field Thursday night.
And it didn’t seem like it was just about the 28-22 loss to the Bucs.
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As the 30-year-old tight end made his way into the Eagles’ locker room at the Linc, he chatted with Javon Hargrave and then shared a moment with Eagles VP of security Dom DiSandro.
It seems possible Ertz might have already played his last home game as an Eagle.
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The Eagles' next two games are on the road and they won’t be back at Lincoln Financial Field until after the Nov. 2 trade deadline. By then, Ertz could be on another roster.
In fact, on Thursday evening, Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that teams have been calling the Eagles about their tight ends.
“Several teams around the NFL have been calling the Eagles this last week about trading for one of their tight ends,” Glazer said. “Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them got traded sometime this week.”
It’s somewhat surprising that Ertz has lasted this long. After the end of the 2020 season, Ertz said a tearful goodbye to Eagles fans only to end up back in training camp with the franchise that drafted him in 2013. Some relationships were mended, apologies given and Ertz has been back on the field again for the Eagles in 2021.
The Eagles would have traded Ertz this past offseason but they never got an offer they deemed acceptable. So they kept him instead.
On Thursday, Ertz had 4 catches for 29 yards and 1 touchdown. Overall, it’s been another down year for Ertz, who has just 18 catches for 189 yards and 2 touchdowns on the season. Still, he might have some trade value.
And if the Eagles want to hang on to one of their two tight ends, it might behoove them to stick with Goedert and try to sign him to an extension. He’s younger than Ertz and is still an ascending player.
If Ertz gets traded this week, he’ll end up just shy of the franchise record for career receptions. That mark is held now by Harold Carmichael with 589. Ertz is sitting at 579. He needs just 11 to set a new all-time record.
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