Eagles tight end Zach Ertz signed a five-year contract extension that could keep him in Philadelphia through the 2021 season.
The deal includes $20 million guaranteed and will make Ertz the fourth highest-paid tight end in the league.
It’s the first major transaction for the new personnel pecking order in Philadelphia since coach Chip Kelly was fired on Dec. 29. The deal raises the bar for other teams who might be hoping to retain their own star tight ends, including Jordan Reed with the Redskins and Chiefs Pro Bowler Travis Kelce.
A second-round pick in 2013 out of Stanford, Ertz set career highs with 75 receptions and 853 yards in 2015. He has 169 catches for 2,024 yards and nine touchdowns in his first three seasons, second-most by an Eagles tight end in team history.
Ertz closed the season strong with 35 receptions for 450 yards, the highest-yardage total by a tight end in NFL history over the last four weeks of a regular season.
His 450 receiving yards in the final four weeks of the season made him just the second NFL tight end to accumulate at least 450 yards over a four-game span since 2013, joining Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (who did it with the Saints).
