Report: Zach Ertz not planning to report to Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have been shopping Zach Ertz in trade talks since the end of last season, but they have yet to find a new home for the tight end. That does not mean he will return to the team in 2021.

Ertz did not report to the second phase of the Eagles’ voluntary offseason program on Monday, which was not a surprise. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ertz is not planning to show up while the team moves toward either trading or releasing him.

The Eagles explored signing Ertz to a contract extension at one point last year, but negotiations between the two sides turned ugly. It became clear at that point that a divorce was inevitable.

Ertz had his worst NFL season last year, though an ankle injury was a big factor in that. He caught just 36 passes for 335 yards and one touchdown.

The Eagles would obviously prefer to trade Eertz, but that has already proved to be a difficult task. He’s on the wrong side of 30, coming off a bad year and carries a salary cap hit of more than $12 million in 2021. Releasing Ertz may be the team’s only option.