The Eagles have announced that Zach Ertz has signed a five-year extension that will keep him in Philadelphia through 2021. Check out the best of Ertz...
TE Zach Ertz was drafted 35th overall in 2013 out of Stanford
Ertz was the highest TE drafted by a team since Keith Jackson in 1988
In 2013, Ertz had a big game against the Vikings where he had six catches for 57 yards, including a one-handed catch for a touchdown
Ertz's first-career touchdown catch was at Oakland in 2013
When the Eagles played the Cardinals in 2013, Ertz led the team with 68 receiving yards and also scored two touchdowns
In 2014, Ertz set a single-game franchise record with 15 receptions and also posted his first-career 100-yard game against Washington
Ertz's 15 receptions against Washington also tied for the second-highest total by an NFL TE since 1960
Just a week after hitting a career best in receiving yards, Ertz totaled a new career high with 86 receiving yards
In 2015, Ertz finished second on the team in receptions (75) and receiving yards (853), which were both career highs
Ertz's 75 catches are the third-highest total by an Eagles TE in franchise history
Ertz also set a team record in 2015 for most catches over a three-game span, by recording 30 catches in the last three games of the season
Ertz became the first Eagles TE since Brent Celek to record back-to-back 100-yard games in 2015
Ertz led the offense in both receptions (5) and receiving yards (98) in the 23-20 win over Buffalo in 2015
With a new head coach at the helm and a reorganization of roles within the front office, the Eagles will look to immediately identify and retain the cornerstone players around whom they would like to build moving forward. On Monday, Philadelphia made its first move in that direction, extending the contract of tight end Zach Ertz by five years beyond his current deal and locking him up through 2021.
"Nothing could make me happier than knowing I'm going to be a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for years to come," Ertz wrote in a blog post Monday morning. "I love Philly. My family loves it. I love how passionate Eagles fans are about their football, how they live and breathe it... I couldn't be more proud to be putting that work in for the Eagles, and for the city of Philadelphia.
The 25-year-old is coming off a 2015 season in which he finished sixth amongst all players at his position in receptions (75) and seventh in receiving yards (853) with a pair of touchdowns. Those first two numbers were good for second on the team behind wideout Jordan Matthews and ranked third all-time among Eagles tight ends.
Most impressively, perhaps, was the fact that Ertz improved dramatically as the season progressed. More than half his yards and nearly half his receptions came over the final four weeks of the season, with the 6-5 pass-catcher hauling in 35 balls for 450 yards, leading all NFL tight ends during that stretch and trailing only perennial Pro Bowl receivers Antonio Brown and Julio Jones. In the team's season finale against the Giants, he caught nine passes for a career-high 152 yards, and the week before that he notched 13 catches for 122 yards.
"My sincerest thank you to Mr. Lurie and the rest of the organization for making this commitment to me," he wrote. "I am committed to doing everything I can to be the best player I can be, and to help our team get back to the Super Bowl and win it."
Ertz will address the media at 1 PM at the NovaCare Complex in Philadelphia. Tune in to PhiladelphiaEagles.com to watch the press conference live.
