Zach Ertz

Trade rumors have circulated around veteran tight end Zach Ertz all offseason. But it sounds as though he's staying with the Philadelphia Eagles for another year. 

General manager Howie Roseman told reporters Wednesday that he expects Ertz to be with the team this season. 

Howard Eskin of Sports Radio 94 WIP reported last week that Ertz "has been working out in team facility for close to [the] last two weeks with teammates. He's over the issues."

Ertz, 30, has spent his entire career with the Eagles after they selected him with a second-round pick in 2013. He's been named to the Pro Bowl three times and was a key player in the team's 2017 Super Bowl title. 

But after posting five straight seasons with at least 70 receptions and 800 receiving yards from 2015 through 2019—including an epic 2018 campaign (116 receptions for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns)—Ertz had the worst year of his career in 2020, catching only 36 passes for 365 yards and one score in 11 games. 

Injuries and Carson Wentz's dreadful campaign played a part in his dramatic drop in production. But with the Eagles now rebuilding and promising young tight end Dallas Goedert also on the roster, Ertz seemed likely to get traded this offseason.

Ertz is only under contract through the 2021 season, so a divorce could be on the horizon regardless. But with training camp underway and Ertz in attendance, the possibility of one last go-around with the Eagles seems increasingly likely. 

There is reportedly a "great chance" Zach Ertz remains with the Philadelphia Eagles at the beginning of the 2021 season despite ongoing trade rumors dating back to last season.

Howard Eskin of 94 WIP reported Ertz will be at Eagles camp when it opens July 27, and he's "over the issues" that created a fissure in his relationship with the organization.

It was widely expected that Ertz would be traded during the 2021 offseason after he suffered through an injury-marred 2020 campaign that saw him set career lows in receiving yards (335) and touchdown receptions (one). The Eagles would save $8.5 million if they trade or release Ertz, but it appears the two sides may now be comfortable allowing his contract to play out.

Ertz will be a free agent at the end of the 2021 season.

The Eagles made several offseason changes that seem designed for a rebuild, and they likely could have landed a conditional mid-to-late-round pick for Ertz.

Instead, it appears teams have not met the Eagles' asking price and they've decided a holding pattern is best for all parties.

Ertz is a three-time Pro Bowler who set the NFL record for receptions by a tight end with 116 during the 2018 season. He had recorded at least 74 receptions and 800 receiving yards in each of the previous five seasons before a steep decline in 2020.

At least one anonymous NFL player believes veteran tight end Zach Ertz is ready to move on from the Philadelphia Eagles.

As part of ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler's poll to determine the NFL's top tight ends, a veteran NFL offensive player said the following regarding Ertz: "He's probably tired of the bullcrap in Philly. With a fresh start, he'll still be great."

Despite struggling through the worst season of his career in 2020 because of a combination of injuries and poor quarterback play, an anonymous panel of NFL executives, coaches, scouts and players still voted Ertz as the 10th-best tight end in the league.

Because of Ertz's contract situation and the continued emergence of Dallas Goedert (No. 6 on Fowler's tight end list), Ertz has been the subject of trade speculation for some time.

That was even before he finished with just 36 receptions for 335 yards and one touchdown in 11 games last season.

The 30-year-old Ertz has just one year and $8.5 million remaining on his contract, meaning it is likely the Eagles would prefer to move him before the start of the 2021 season and get an asset in return.

Unfortunately for the Eagles, Ertz is coming off his worst season and has a big salary-cap number, which could impede their trading efforts.

Still, he was named to the Pro Bowl three years in a row before falling off in 2020. He also isn't far removed from a career year in 2018 when he registered career highs across the board with 116 receptions for 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ertz finished with at least 800 receiving yards in five consecutive seasons from 2015 to 2019, averaging 86 catches for 914 yards and nearly six touchdowns per season.

One AFC executive expressed optimism that he can possibly get back to his old ways, saying: "Still a productive player, but the explosion and fluidity wasn't all the way there [last year]. Maybe a full offseason to get healthy will help him regain that."

Several teams could use an upgrade at tight end, and they could do much worse than a player in Ertz who was clearly among the top three or four tight ends in the league for several years before last season.

The Indianapolis Colts are one potential landing spot since Ertz's former quarterback in Philadelphia, Carson Wentz, is now the signal-caller in Indy. Also, Colts head coach Frank Reich was the Eagles' offensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl during the 2017 season.

Another potential landing spot is Buffalo, as tight end is the Bills' weakest position on offense.

Eagles play-by-play announcer Merrill Reese claimed last month that Philadelphia and Buffalo were "close" to agreeing to a deal involving Ertz, but regardless of where he ends up, it seems like a foregone conclusion that his days with the Eagles are numbered.