Zach Ertz

The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly asking for too much as they look to deal tight end Zach Ertz, according to Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press. 

Ertz, a three-time Pro Bowler, has received interest from teams but none that are willing to meet the Eagles' price, which Maaddi reported is a third-round pick. 

The Eagles gave Ertz permission to seek a trade in March, and NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported at the time the team was looking for a third- or fourth-rounder in return. 

The tight end had made his frustration with the franchise clear in September, when he was disappointed in negotiations regarding a new contract. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, talks between the sides "came to an abrupt halt" following an offer that was guaranteed less money than one from November 2019. 

Ertz told reporters at the time that he would play the 2020 season "as if this is my last year." 

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in March that a deal would need to "make sense for both sides" to go through, and for the Eagles, that could mean the ability to boost the receiving corps. Ertz is the team's TE2 behind Dallas Goedert, and there's little depth behind them. 

While the Eagles added Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith in the first round, dealing Ertz would need to net Philadelphia a significant return as the team looks to move on from a 4-11-1 season that saw it rank 24th in yards per game (334.6) and 28th in passing yards (207.9). 

The 30-year-old has spent all eight years of his career with the Eagles. He ranks second in franchise history with 561 receptions, and his 6,078 receiving yards are fifth. He was limited to 11 games in 2020 due to a high-ankle sprain and posted career lows in yards (335) and touchdowns (one) while tying a personal low of 36 receptions. 

The market for San Francisco 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo appears to be evaporating as Day 2 of the 2021 NFL draft saw three more QBs come off the board. 

Tight end Zach Ertz finds himself in a similar situation, with five players at his position selected through the first three rounds. 

That doesn't mean the two veterans are out of luck. Plenty of teams could still use front-end help, if not additional depth. Here's a look at the top landing spots for the Garoppolo and Ertz heading into the final day of the draft in Cleveland.

49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo

The list of teams in need of a bona fide starting quarterback dropped from nearly a third of the league to a handful at best in the last 48 hours. 

The Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars each grabbed a QB within the first 15 picks of Round 1 on Thursday. That's not counting the Niners' selection of Trey Lance—Garoppolo's likely replacement—at No. 3 overall. 

After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Florida QB Kyle Trask No. 64 overall, the Minnesota Vikings grabbed Texas A&M's Kellen Mond at No. 66. The Houston Texans selected Stanford's Davis Mills at No. 67. 

Houston would've made for a potential Garoppolo suitor with Deshaun Watson's tenure likely over, according to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah. 

The larger issue remains Garoppolo's contract. The 29-year-old carries a $26.4 million cap hit in 2021 and a $27 million cap hit in 2022.

One team that may be able to make his contract fit is the Denver Broncos. 

General manager George Paton told reporters last week he wanted to create a quarterback competition around Drew Lock. He seemingly accomplished that by adding Teddy Bridgewater, but Garoppolo has shown an ability to play at a level not seen from passers. Considering the Broncos still have $24.5 million in cap space, per Spotrac, there's a chance the finances could work if the desire is there. 

The Detroit Lions have $22.9 million in cap space, yet they already made one big quarterback move this offseason by sending Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers (salary constraints aside) and Indianapolis Colts make sense as landing spots. The Colts are preparing to enter the season with Carson Wentz as their starter, with head coach Frank Reich attempting to revive the career of the former Philadelphia Eagles signal-caller. Garoppolo provides a solid Plan B.

Similarly, the Steelers are staking their season on Ben Roethlisberger's health, which has been spotty in recent years. 

Otherwise the Illinois native's best opportunity may be sticking it out in the Bay Area and trying to prove that the Niners are still his team. 

Eagles TE Zach Ertz

It's a little bit easier to imagine Ertz playing elsewhere. 

The 30-year-old is set to account for $12.7 million against the cap in 2021 before reaching unrestricted free agency in 2022. 

Once again, it's the Colts that make the most sense here. 

If Reich is going to try to turn Wentz back into an elite passer, he could do a lot worse than adding the tight end who helped get him there in the first place. Reich, Wentz and Ertz were all together in Philadelphia when Reich served as offensive coordinator from 2016 to '17. 

The Jaguars also make sense for Ertz. 

Giving rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence an established tight end could help the Clemson product's development and add a bit of stability to a young huddle featuring enormous talents in wideouts DJ Chark Jr., Laviska Shenault Jr. and tailback James Robinson. 

Jacksonville's $39.3 million in cap space makes the Jags an intriguing trade partner for the Eagles as well. 

Ertz is just one year removed from three consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl and put up 335 yards on 36 catches despite playing just 11 games last year. The typically durable tight end hauled in an NFL single-season record at his position three years ago with 116 catches, and while he may not be at that elite level anymore, he still has enough to offer a rebuilding club. 

That should give head coach Urban Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke plenty to consider.

The first round of the 2021 NFL draft may be over, but the intrigue and drama this week doesn't only surround the 195 selections left to be made on Friday and Saturday.

Incoming rookies aren't the only players who will be making news in the coming days. Plenty of quality free agents remain, including cornerback Richard Sherman and offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

A few big-name veterans are also looming on the trade market, such as San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garappolo and Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz. Even Atlanta Falcons legend Julio Jones could be available with the right deal.

For now, the focus here is on Garappolo and Ertz and where they could be headed after Round 1 came to a close. You can find a breakdown of each of their situations before diving into a few different teams that could be potential destinations.

San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo

All signs are pointing toward Garoppolo's time with the San Francisco 49ers being over, especially after the team selected North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

From Jason La Canfora of NFL Network: "Very strong expectation among other GM's and throughout the industry that the 49ers will make major effort to move Jimmy Garoppolo before or during the draft. Timing isn't great with 5 QBs about to go in 1st round, but Jimmy G's future there now seen as bleak."

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement to Garoppolo's immediate future with the team when asked if the signal-caller would be on the team's roster by Sunday during his pre-draft press conference this week.

Life came at Garoppolo fast in San Francisco, a team that went to the Super Bowl two seasons ago under his leadership. Garoppolo excelled that year, completing 69.1 percent of his passes for 27 touchdowns (13 interceptions) and 7.8 yards per pass attempt. He finished eighth in quarterback rating and 12th in QBR.

However, he's been sidelined by injuries for much of his 49ers career. A torn left ACL forced him to the sideline for 14 games in 2018, and he started just six games for the 49ers in 2020 after suffering a pair of high-ankle sprains.

The 49ers ultimately decided to move on from the 29-year-old and bring in a new rookie to be the face of their franchise, but now the question is whether the team can find a suitable suitor for Jimmy G.

One possibility is the Houston Texans.

Since mid-March, 22 women have filed civil claims against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, alleging that he committed acts including sexual assault and sexual misconduct during massage sessions in 2020 and 2021. Watson's future is unknown as legal proceedings move forward.

In January, Watson also requested a trade away from the Houston Texans, who remained steadfast in their desire to keep the franchise signal-caller.

It's very possible the Texans could be in the market for a quarterback. They were not in position to select one of the top quarterback prospects in this year's draft, as their first pick is at No. 67 overall.

Houston could hope a player like Texas A&M's Kellen Mond, Florida's Kyle Trask or Stanford' Davis Mills falls, but the Texans could go another route and trade for Garoppolo, hoping he stays healthy and reclaims the magic from his NFC-winning season.

There would have to be some cap maneuvering and cost-cutting for this to work. Garoppolo has a $26.4 million cap hit, per Over the Cap, and Houston has less than $11 million on its cap for 2021. But if the two sides can get creative, either via player cuts or San Francisco absorbing some money, then this could be a gamble worth taking for the Texans.

As an added bonus, some old Patriots staffers are now working for the Texans in general manager Nick Caserio and EVP of Football Operations Jack Easterby. They are both familiar with Garappolo from his time in New England, and perhaps they'd be interested in reuniting with an old friend.

Eagles TE Zach Ertz

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported in March that the Eagles granted Ertz permission to seek a trade.

There's been some rumors and speculation about where Ertz could land of late, with Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network providing this information:

"I’m told there are six to seven teams in the running, including the Indianapolis Colts. Many tell me it’s a situation where Howie Roseman will try and squeeze as much as possible from a team that wants Ertz considering the weakness of the tight end class. As we previously reported, the Eagles’ initial third-round asking price was too much for teams initially interested."

Jimmy Kempski of Philly Voice provided his take on Ertz's potential landing spot too.

"The list of teams with (a) a need at TE, (b) a reasonable chance of contending, and (c) at least $8.25 million in cap space to take on his contract isn't very long," Kempski wrote.

He then listed the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts before closing: "That's it. That's all I got. You could maybe squint and make arguments for some others, but the point here is that the Eagles aren't drumming up a bidding war for Ertz at this point."

Building off those points, the Colts figure to be the top choice.

It makes too much sense. Ertz would reunite with his former quarterback (Carson Wentz) and ex-offensive coordinator (Colts head coach Frank Reich) in Indianapolis.

The Colts made liberal use of their tight ends last year, with Trey Burton, Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox all receiving snaps. Burton is gone after entering free agency, and the Colts could stand to add another veteran into the locker room.

Enter Ertz, who could be instrumental in helping Wentz enjoy a career renaissance in Indianapolis. Wentz was an NFL MVP candidate before suffering a torn left ACL against the Los Angeles Rams in Dec. 2017. He hasn't been the same since and regressed so much in 2020 that he was benched for rookie Jalen Hurts for the final month of the regular season.

Philadelphia started fresh in 2021, trading Wentz to Indianapolis. He could get an old friend to help him out in Ertz, who caught more passes from Wentz than another other pass-catcher in Philly. In 2018 alone, Ertz had 82 catches for 874 yards and six touchdowns in 11 Wentz starts, per Pro Football Reference.

Indianapolis has plenty of offensive talent surrounding Wentz, including running back Jonathan Taylor, wideouts T.Y. Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr. and a Quenton Nelson-led offensive line. But bringing Ertz into the fold can only help Wentz as he looks to reboot his NFL career while the Colts hope they found a long-term signal-caller.

The Philadelphia Eagles already traded back from No. 6 to No. 12 in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, but the team might not be done making moves.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler explained the team's plans on SportsCenter on Sunday, including the involvement of tight end Zach Ertz:

"I'm told that [Zach Ertz]'s been waiting, bracing for a change, a trade, a release, for the better part of the last two months. It has not happened yet, but Philly sits at 12 overall. It's not an overly deep tight end class after Kyle Pitts. So if they move back, or down, or wherever they want to move in the three days of the draft, perhaps Zach Ertz could be a part of that deal. And Howie Roseman has been making a lot of calls. The GM of the Eagles has been active. A source told me that 'Philly's up to something with that 12 pick.' Maybe Ertz will be involved in that." 

Shortly after the Miami Dolphins moved back from No. 3 to No. 12 in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, the Dolphins acquired the sixth pick from the Eagles along with a fifth-rounder, giving up the No. 12 pick, a fourth-round pick and a 2022 first-round pick.

Philadelphia is coming off a 4-11-1 season in 2020.

Roseman recently explained the team's strategy regarding the trade, per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports:

"Well, the reason we traded back from six to 12 was because flexibility creates opportunity. And for us, having an extra first-round pick, when you go back and look at things that are hard to acquire, that's one of the hardest things to acquire, is a team's first-round pick in the following year and to move back six spots. But what we really had to do was to sit there and go, 'Who are the 12 players in this draft that we would feel really good about?' Are there 12 players in this draft that we feel really good about?"

The could indicate further movement in the first round or beyond as the squad tries to turn things around under new coach Nick Sirianni. 

It also makes sense to move on from Ertz, meanwhile, despite his success over the past eight years in Philadelphia. After earning three straight Pro Bowl selections from 2017-19, he struggled in 2020 with just 36 receptions for 335 yards and one touchdown in 11 games.

The 30-year-old also has a $12.7 million cap hit in 2021, but the team could save $4.95 million in a draft-day trade, per Spotrac.

Another team looking for an upgrade at tight end could target Ertz rather than an unknown in the later rounds of the draft.

The Buffalo Bills are no longer attempting to acquire tight end Zach Ertz from the Philadelphia Eagles after signing free agent Jacob Hollister to a one-year deal, according to ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques.

Jacques reported the Eagles were asking for a third-round pick to part ways with the three-time Pro Bowler, which proved too steep for the Bills. Instead, Buffalo added the 27-year-old Wyoming product, who joins his third NFL team since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2017. 

Hollister appeared in all 16 games (five starts) for the Seattle Seahawks last season en route to 25 catches for 209 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He'll look to split time with Dawson Knox in Buffalo after the second-year pro caught 24 passes for 288 yards and three scores in 2020. 

Coming off a 13-3 record, the Bills have already proved themselves as the class of the AFC East and didn't need to overpay to add Ertz—especially with the tight end carrying a $12.5 million cap hit next season before hitting free agency in 2022. 

Considering Ertz posted 335 receiving yards on 36 catches with one touchdown last year and spent five games on injured reserve after suffering a high ankle sprain, sending a third-round pick to Philadelphia for his services was more of a risk than Ertz was worth to Buffalo.

Where that leaves the Eagles remains unclear. However, Dallas Goedert has been a steady presence the last two seasons with a combined 104 catches for 1,131 yards and eight scores in 26 games, and it's looking like Ertz may pass the torch to the three-year veteran.

Ertz's cap hit will be hard to justify given his recent stats, but it could make sense for a team with little depth at the position. So far, no club that fits the description has been able to work out a deal.