Zach Ertz has been a staple of the Philadelphia Eagles franchise for nearly a decade. The player who caught the winning touchdown pass to give the Eagles their first Super Bowl title, Ertz believed the inevitable was coming as he had what looked to be an emotional goodbye at the conclusion of the Eagles’ loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Thursday night.
Walking through the tunnel and into the locker room, Ertz appeared to soak it all in as trade rumors continued to involve the Eagles tight end. And it turned out they were more than rumors, as Ertz was traded on Friday morning to the Arizona Cardinals for cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round draft pick.
The Eagles don’t have a home game until the November 2 trade deadline passes, and the franchise is in a transition year with a quarterback that has just 10 starts under his belt in Jalen Hurts and a first year head coach in Nick Sirianni. The Eagles also tried to trade Ertz this summer, but had no takers as the former Pro Bowl tight end started the year with the team that drafted him. It’s possible Ertz played his final home game with the Eagles.
Ertz was not available for comment after the game, but did record a touchdown reception in Thursday’s loss. He finished with four catches for 29 yards and a score and has 18 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns through six games this season.
