Eagles in tougher position than they thought with Zach Ertz


The Eagles’ hopes of trading tight end Zach Ertz have been complicated by the Vikings releasing Kyle Rudolph onto the open market.

Every action in the NFL has a ripple effect. The Eagles are likely going to get a taste of that as they look to trade tight end Zach Ertz.

The market for tight ends just got narrower thanks to the Minnesota Vikings releasing Kyle Rudolph.

The Vikings released Rudolph on Tuesday after 10 years with the team. Dropping Rudolph, who had three years left on his deal, will save Minnesota $5 million in cap space.

The Eagles are in a similar position with Ertz, an aging veteran who makes more money than the team cares to spend. Ertz wants a contract extension. Philadelphia would rather save some cash.

Kyle Rudolph could impact the Eagles trade value for Zach Ertz

Ertz isn’t in danger of being cut at this point, though. He still holds value on the trade market. Rudolph doesn’t help that value, though.

As Mike Kaye of NJ.com pointed out, Rudolph is only one year older than the 30-year-old Ertz. He’d be a cheaper option in terms of trade assets and salary than the Eagles tight end.

Teams that might have helped drive up the market for Ertz will now be able to look at Rudolph as a perfectly acceptable consolation prize if their goal is to bring in a veteran TE.

It doesn’t help that the 2020 production for each was very similar. Ertz had a career-worst 335 yards and just one touchdown in 11 starts. Rudolph has never put up the mouthwatering numbers of Ertz’s past, but he had 334 yards and one touchdown in 12 games this past season.

Some team will decide that Ertz is worth the investment, but the Eagles aren’t going to get as much as they could have in the trade.



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