Why did the Eagles trade Zach Ertz? Revisiting the deal with Cardinals after contract impasse

Tight end Zach Ertz was traded to the Cardinals from the Eagles back in October, and now both teams are in the playoffs. The Cardinals are the fifth NFC seed, while the Eagles are the seventh seed.

Since joining the Cardinals, Ertz has played a crucial part on the team, becoming their third top receiver. During the regular season with the Cardinals, Ertz completed 56 of 81 passes for 574 yards. He’s also scored three touchdowns. All of these results after only playing 11 games with the Cardinals this season.

So, if Ertz is playing so well this year, why would the Eagles trade him? Here’s a look at what caused the Ertz trade back in October.

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Why did the Eagles trade Zach Ertz?

When Ertz was traded during Week 6 of the regular season, the Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts were only utilizing tight ends 22 percent of the time, which was down from the previous season when they were used 35 percent of the time. So, the Eagles took advantage of saving money in their cap space by getting a player and pick in return.

The Eagles added $5.5 million to their cap space after the Ertz trade, which increased their total amount to $21 million. This gives them more options to explore during the off season.

Additionally, the Eagles gained cornerback Tay Gowan in the trade. The Eagles also secured a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft with the trade.

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Why did the Cardinals trade for Zach Ertz?

During the week of the trade, the Cardinals lost their star tight end Maxx Williams to a season-ending knee injury. Williams completed 193 receiving yards and one touchdown in the five games he played this season. So, at the time, the Cardinals were in desperate need of a star tight end.

The Cardinals were also 5-0 at that point with early playoff predictions happening. They were the last team to remain undefeated this last season, ultimately losing to the Packers when they had a 7-0 record.

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Who became the Eagles’ primary tight end?

The Eagles turned to tight end Dallas Goedert to fill in for Ertz. In his 15 games this season (he missed two games due to COVID-19), he outperformed Ertz yards wise. Goedert completed 56 of 76 passes for 830 yards. Goedert only follows wide receiver DeVonta Smith for total yardage completed by an Eagles receiver this season.