Zach Ertz Wants To Join A Contender But May Not Get A Say In It

In his own words, retired future Hall of Famer and former Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt got his Adam Schefter on for one day, when he was the first to break the news that then-current Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz had asked for his release from the team. Ertz was a former teammate of Watt during the latter’s short two-season stint at the end of his long and storied career; clearly, the two stayed friends after their one and a half years together. It makes news-breaking much easier being that well connected.

Ertz was acquired on 15th October 2021 from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan and a fifth-round selection in the 2022 Draft (a pick later retraded several times, eventually winding up with the Cincinnati Bengals, who used it on Toledo safety Tycen Anderson), with the Cardinals taking on salary (or rather, the knowledge that an extension would soon be required) more than giving up on-field assets.

The trade was a particularly well-timed one. It took place barely a week before the Week 7 matchup on 24th October in which Watt suffered a second-quarter shoulder injury, and although he would stay in the game, that injury proved severe enough to require season-ending surgery after it was properly examined. Ertz had therefore been acquired by the then-7-0 Cardinals to reinforce a Cardinals line-up that a struggling Watt had left. Now, though, Ertz is the one leaving, with the official press release announcing his release coming soon after Watt’s scoop. Turns out the new Schef was right.

Due to a quad injury that saw him miss five games and still be stuck on injured reserve, as well as the rapid development of Trey McBride in his place, Ertz had not been the impact player in the 2023 season that he had been upon his arrival in 2021. Nevertheless, as a three-time Pro Bowler whose best seasons were recent enough to be within recent memory, there will be a market for Ertz, and he knows it.

Ertz asked for his release because he wanted to join a better team than the 2-10 Cardinals. But he may not have a choice in the matter, given the nature of the waivers process. With the timing of his waiving, the Cardinals will be on the hook for Ertz’s Week 13 salary. Therefore, any team claiming him off waivers would owe Ertz $2.43 million, the remaining amount of his $11.605 million total cap hit for 2023.

If a contender out there (such as the Baltimore Ravens or Kansas City Chiefs, based on their depth charts) is looking for tight end support and thinks Ertz is healthy enough to contribute, that is a payable price for the credentialed veteran. If the Eagles want Ertz back, with the previous tensions surrounding his desire for an extension no longer applying, it just so happens that they have the perfect amount of salary cap flexibility to claim him. And while it is generally considered poor form to do such things to veterans, if a non-contending team with higher billing in the waiver queue want to spoil the fun and claim Ertz even if they are no better than the Cardinals, then so be it. Such is the risk Ertz has taken.

Considering the timing of the decision, how perfectly it correlates with the amount of cap space the Eagles have, and Ertz’s love of the place, all signs point towards this whole saga as being his attempt to get back to Philly. But Ertz did not become a free agent today, and thus his future is still in other’s hands.

(EDIT: An earlier version of this article incorrectly described J.J. Watt as a tight end. Repeatedly. And quite wrongly.)