Getty The Arizona Cardinals could be looking to trade star tight end Zach Ertz.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick thinks very highly of Zach Ertz. Problem is, the six-time Super Bowl winner isn’t willing to meet the insane asking price the Philadelphia Eagles are asking for in a trade.
Ertz has been on the trading block since January, yet remains on the Philly roster. The three-time Pro Bowler is actually mired in a training camp competition with Dallas Goedert for the No. 1 tight end spot on the Eagles’ depth chart. Both players are going to see ample snaps in 12 personnel so that battle isn’t a major issue.
However, Ertz and Belichick were spotted having a fun back-and-forth after the Patriots-Eagles joint practice on Monday. According to 6abc’s Jamie Apody, Belichick told Ertz “I’m still going to get you someday,” then joked that Eagles general manager Howie Roseman wanted two of his grandchildren in a potential trade package. There were smiles all around.
👀 @ZERTZ_86 warmly introducing @Patriots coach Bill Belichick to his wife @julieertz. Coach to Ertz “I’m still going to get you some day.” Ertz with a smile. Belicihick responds “But Howie wants 2 first round picks. AND 2 of my grandchildren!” 🤣
New England was heavily linked to Ertz early in free agency but no trade ever materialized. Instead, the Patriots went out and signed two dominant tight ends in Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry as they try to reimagine the vaunted Aaron Hernandez-Rob Gronkowski duo of the early 2010s. They don’t currently have a roster spot for Ertz unless Smith’s recent ankle injury turns out to be more serious than the team is letting on.
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Tampering Charges for Belichick, Patriots?
Belichick was clearly joking during his brief interaction with Ertz on Monday. The impetus for the encounter was to introduce the Patriots head coach and general manager to Julie Ertz, Zach’s Olympic champion soccer star wife.
Still, it is against NFL rules to discuss any players under team control by another franchise outside of the legal tampering period. That period started on March 17 and ended on July 27 when Ertz showed up at Eagles’ training camp.
Here is the NFL’s definition of what constitutes “tampering” (via NFL Communications):
The term tampering, as used within the National Football League, refers to any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissibly induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL.
Belichick talks to Jim & Pat about Zach Ertz: Very good route runner, crafty guy. Does a great job going inside/outside. Very slick route runner. Makes tough catches in traffic. He’s NEVER covered. He’s a matchup nightmare. #SB52 #BoldNorthMOA @ZERTZ_86
Belichick on Ertz: ‘He’s Good at Everything’
Belichick’s affection for Ertz as a player is well-documented. He gushed about the 30-year-old tight end prior to their last regular-season meeting in 2019, almost two years after watching Ertz catch the game-winning touchdown versus the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Sure, opposing coaches often throw kudos on star players as a form of gamesmanship. This sounded a little different, though.
“Yeah he’s pretty good. He’s really good at everything,” Belichick told reporters on Nov. 13, 2019. “In the passing game, man routes, he can get open against a variety of defenders. He’s a tough guy to match up against. He’s got a good feel in zone coverage for spacing and when to do the right thing – when to slow down, when to speed up, when to go behind or in front of, how to adjust his routes and so forth. He’s a really good player.”
3 years ago today Zach Ertz scored the only Super Bowl winning TD in #Eagles franchise history:
Belichick continued: “They move him around a lot. He’s in a lot of different positions. Until they come out of the huddle, it’s hard to really know where he’s going to be. He lines up in the tight end traditional location, but not a high, high percentage of the time. He’s in different spots. They use a couple different personnel groups, so you have to find him within each group. But he’s really, he’s a good player.”