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Update: Travis Kelce has signed a deal worth over $14 million per season per Jeremy Fowler
George Kittle has just signed a 5-year deal worth $75 million, according to Ian Rapoport:
This signing has reset the tight end market at $15 million average per season.
For reference the second highest is Hunter Henry at $10, 607,000.
Here is an overview of the top 10 tight ends in annual salary before the Kittle extension (per Over the Cap)
This signing is relevant to Eagles fans as Zach Ertz is due for an extension soon and re-signing him at his current annual salary of $8.5 million isn't going to cut it.
The question is though how much should the Eagles give Zach Ertz annually on his next contract. The answer to this is question is not an easy one as the Eagles are in a tough cap situation the next few seasons (especially in 2021)
The Eagles do not need to be in a rush to get a deal done, however, as Zach Ertz is signed through the 2021 season. The benefit of getting a deal done earlier rather than later is that it would provide cap relief in the 2021 season by lowering his overall cap number.
Should the Eagles extend Zach Ertz? Absolutely, he is without a doubt one of the best players on the Eagles roster and is a invaluable weapon for Carson Wentz. The only debate really is for how much and for how long, especially with Dallas Goedert being eligible for an extension after the 2020 season. Do the Eagles extend both players or rather can they?
A deal with Zach Ertz anywhere from 10-13 million annual salary may makes sense for both sides. If Zach Ertz wants top top Kittle's deal then the Eagles options may be limited.
Zach Ertz has recently stated that he wants to be an life-long Eagle. Maybe that desire will help make his contract demands reasonable.
If Ertz doesn't want to top Kittle's deal then the Eagles should do everything in their power to keep both tight ends on the roster for as long as possible.
How that is possible only Howie Roseman knows, and there is no doubt that he is working tirelessly to figure it out.
Update: Now that Kelce has signed a deal for a little over $14 million per year, the deal for Ertz should be expected to be around 12-14 million per season.
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