What The George Kittle Extension Means for The Eagles and Zach Ertz

As of today, 49ers tight end George Kittle is officially the highest-paid at the position in NFL history. Kittle signed a 5 year $75 million dollar deal. This totally changes the tight end market.
You would be kidding yourself if you didn’t think Zach Ertz was taking note of this. Ertz has been due for a contract extension. He has arguably been one of the best tight ends in the NFL over the last several years.
Philadelphia Eagles Career Receiving Leaders
- Harold Carmichael, 1971-83 Rec: 589
- Zach Ertz, 2013-19 Rec: 525
Zach Ertz is on pace to become the Eagles all-time leader in receptions. You simply cannot argue that production. Not to mention, he is far and away Carson Wentz’s favorite and most consistent target.
With that being said, Ertz’s price tag will be justifiably steep. Even with the emergence of Dallas Goedert, that likely won’t preclude the Eagles from throwing Ertz the top dollars.
Zach Ertz vs George Kittle 2019 Season Stats
Those numbers apparently came on a “down year”. Zach will continue to be one of the most productive tight ends in the league for the foreseeable future. There’s been no indication to think otherwise.
“I do consider myself in that upper echelon of guys, in that same tier with all those guys,” Ertz said. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but I think a lot of guys in this building feel the same way about me. I’m never in the business of comparing people. I think we’re all three of us at the top of our games, and I think we’re all perfect in the offense that we play in, honestly. I think we all have unique skill sets, but we’re all very different with some similarities, but overall, I don’t think my game is any less than any of those guys.”
Zach Ertz is currently signed through the 2021 season; with a cap hit of around $12.5 million. A new extension would not only make him one of the highest-paid tight ends in football, but it would also provide the Eagles with some more cap flexibility. Which is something all Eagles fans have come to love about GM Howie Roseman.