Ertz to Baltimore?

Zach Ertz asked for and was granted his release from the Arizona Cardinals yesterday, an announcement first made by friend and former teammate J.J. Watt. The tight end joined the Cardinals in October of 2021 via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for then rookie cornerback Tay Gowan and Arizona’s 2022 fifth-round pick.

Ertz was immediately productive for the Cardinals. In 11 games Ertz hauled in 56 passes for 574 yards and 3 TD’s. During his first full season in Arizona, Ertz played in the team’s first 10 games, notching 47 grabs for 406 yards and four scores. He missed the balance of the season after suffering a torn ACL against the LA Rams on November 13, 2022.

Ertz did make it back by training camp of 2023 and played in the Cardinals first 7 games, posting 27 catches for 187 yards and a touchdown. Since October 22, Ertz has been sidelined with what is being described as a quad injury. Second-year TE Trey McBride, a 2022 2nd-round pick out of Colorado State, has filled in admirably for Ertz, posting 48 catches for 521 yards and one TD.

Thank you for the past two years AZ! Truly grateful for our time here!

The best is yet to come!

Proverbs 3:5 pic.twitter.com/IpSRG22699

— Zach Ertz (@ZERTZ_86) December 1, 2023

According to OverTheCap.com, Zach Ertz signed a three-year, $31.65 million contract with the Cardinals on March 14, 2022. He received $17.5 million in guarantees of which $14.5 million is fully guaranteed at signing including an $8 million signing bonus. If on the roster on the 5th day of the league year another $3 million will be fully guaranteed and he will also earn a $1.5 million roster bonus.

Since it’s now December 1 and well past the trade deadline of October 31, the former Stanford Cardinal will have to go on waivers. If he’s claimed, the acquiring team will must pay the balance ($2.43M) of Ertz’ 2023 contract which carries a base salary of $8.755M. The Cardinals cap will bear the brunt of all the unamortized bonus money.

If Ertz clears waivers, the 33-year-old vested veteran is entitled to termination pay and that’s Arizona’s responsibility. Players are entitled to termination pay once during their career and given his age and the size of the contract, it’s safe to assume that Ertz will take the one-time benefit. Then, he is free to sign elsewhere with a club of his choosing. It’s an opportunity for Ertz to double dip – take his termination pay from Arizona and pick up whatever he can from another team.

The veteran minimum for a vested player like Ertz is $1.65M per annum. That would be broken down in 5/18th’s, representing the five remaining games. In other words, $458.3K.

Clearly the Ravens have a need and while Ertz yards per catch have dropped from 10.3 YPC in 2021, to 8.6 in 2022, to 6.9 in 2023, he’s an experienced TE who is a threat in the red zone. Ertz has played in 8 playoff games, including Super Bowl 52, and has 36 catches for 381 yards and 2 scores on his postseason resume.

His name would look good on the Ravens roster – a proven tight end who has performed on the biggest of NFL stages. But Ertz is far removed from the 28-year-old player who caught 116 balls for 1,163 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2018. He’s played in just 17 of a possible 30 games for the Cardinals. And while his availability must be somewhat tempting given the absence of the injured Mark Andrews, sticking with Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar v. a Ertz signing seems like the more prudent thing to do.

Maybe a Hurts to Ertz homecoming in Philadelphia is the most logical next step for the 3-time Pro Bowler and 2012 Ozzie Newsome Award winner.

Save the limited cap dollars for another veteran at a position of need.

Did someone say Ndamukong Suh?

[Related Article: Lamar Jackson or Jalen Hurts?]

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