The Arizona Cardinals and tight end Zach Ertz have reached a long-term deal ahead of free agency. With David Njoku, Dalton Schultz, and Mike Gesicki all receiving the franchise tag, Ertz was expected to be the top free agent to hit the market. Now that Arizona has retained Ertz, the market has started to run dry.
Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals nearing long-term deal
With the free agency legal tampering period set to start on Monday at noon ET, the Cardinals and tight end Zach Ertz reached a three-year contract extension worth $31.65 million on Sunday, a league source confirmed to Pro Football Network.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who first reported the finalized contract numbers, said the deal has $17.5 million guaranteed money.
Ertz was expected to be the top tight end on the market following a trio of franchise tag designations last week. The Cleveland Browns placed the tag on David Njoku, the Dallas Cowboys placed the tag on Dalton Schultz, and the Miami Dolphins placed the tag on Mike Gesicki. While Ertz, 31, is older than all three of those players, he is easily the most productive and proven of the bunch.
Getting to know Ertz
Ertz, a 2013 second-round pick, was traded by the Philadelphia Eagles to the Cardinals in October of last year. Ertz was sent to the desert for a 2022 fifth-round pick and cornerback Tay Gowan, a sixth-round pick in last year’s draft.
While Ertz struggled during his final 18 months in Philadelphia, he surged upon arrival in Arizona. Ertz produced 56 catches for 574 yards and 3 touchdowns during his time with the Cardinals last season. Ertz, a three-time Pro Bowl playmaker, was going to test free agency for the first time this offseason. But if he does re-sign with the Cardinals, he will enter his 10th season, never having been on the open market.
Prior to joining the Cardinals, Ertz was a franchise stalwart for the Eagles. He set the league’s single-season tight end receptions record in 2018 and led the team in catches and receiving yards throughout the first four seasons of the Doug Pederson era. He also made the game-winning touchdown catch in the Super Bowl LII win over the New England Patriots following the 2017 campaign.
Who’s left on the market?
With Ertz returning to Arizona, the top names on the tight end market are Rob Gronkowski of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, C.J. Uzomah of the Cincinnati Bengals, Evan Engram of the New York Giants, and Hayden Hurst of the Atlanta Falcons.
Several teams still have holes to fill at tight end, and with four of the big names off the board, look for second-wave talents like Uzomah, Hurst, and Engram to cash in with the leverage of a weaker market.