3 Eagles who likely won’t be back in 2021

2. Zach Ertz

Ertz is another big-name pass catcher that’s seen his production decline due to injury in 2020. Unlike Jackson, there’s still plenty of reason for optimism that Ertz can bounce back as he enters his age-30 season in 2021.

Don’t look for that career renaissance to take place in Philadelphia. Even before Ertz’s season got derailed due to injury that didn’t appear to be much interest from the Eagles in giving him the sort of lucrative contract he and his agents are looking for. Ertz’s production has been that of an elite tight end during the majority of his time with the Eagles, but the franchise doesn’t seem to be believers in his ability to keep that up in the future.

Reading between the lines it seems obvious that Philadelphia believes Ertz’s success is more a product of Pederson’s offensive system than any overwhelming talent on behalf of the tight end. That is why the Eagles are poised to void the final legitimate year on the long-term contract he inked with the team back in 2016.

This is a much tougher call for the Eagles than letting Jackson walk. Passing on paying Ertz like the best tight end in football makes a lot of sense for the team’s cap sheet, but letting such a reliable pass catcher go is going to be a serious blow to the team’s offensive reconstruction. Dallas Goedert has a chance to blossom into an above-average starter, but he won’t be able to stretch the field like Ertz could during his prime.