Eagles TE Zach Ertz traded to Arizona Cardinals for CB, draft pick

Longtime Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz has been traded to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a rookie defensive back and a draft pick, the team announced Friday. 

The Eagles will receive cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 5th-round pick from the undefeated Cardinals in exchange for the three-time Pro Bowler. 

Ertz, 30, was selected by Philadelphia in the second round of the 2013 draft. He has 579 receptions for 6,267 yards and 38 touchdowns in 123 career regular-season games. In Super Bowl LII, he caught the winning touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the Eagles' 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots.

Ertz was the subject of offseason trade rumors after he and the team were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract during the 2020 season.

After almost a decade of serving as one of the team’s top target, Ertz has recently been serving in a diminished role due to the emergence of fellow tight end Dallas Goedert. Ertz got the starting nod in his last game for the Eagles on Thursday night against the Buccaneers. He finished the game with 4 catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. 

During a press briefing after the trade was announced, Eagles Executive Vice President and General Manager Howie Roseman revealed that Ertz was informed ahead of Thursday night’s game that it would be his last as an Eagle. 

The Eagles took to social media shortly after the trade to thank Ertz for his work on and off the field. 

The team also shared a video narrated by Ertz filled with highlights and the tight end looking back on his time in Philadelphia. He’ll wrap up his Eagles career with 579 receptions, 6,267 yards, and 38 touchdowns.

Ertz was emotional as he addressed the media himself following the trade, and called Philadelphia ‘home.’

"I did the best I could everyday, and I can leave knowing that," Ertz said. "This isn’t going to be the last you’ll see of me here in this city. Our foundation is still going to roll here. This is where we want to make an impact."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Ertz is still seeking a new contract, though he has yet to discuss one with the Cardinals. 

In Arizona, Ertz will join a high-powered offense quarterbacked by rising star Kyler Murray. He will be flanked by two of the NFL’s top receivers in DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green. 

Gowan, 23, was selected by the Cardinals in the sixth round of this year's draft. The 6-foot-2 Gowan has yet to appear in a regular-season game.

Roseman says the Eagles spent time with Gowan before the draft and had targeted him in the 6th round before he was selected by Arizona. 

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