George Kittle’s contract in San Francisco is up after 2020 and he reportedly wants to be paid like a wide receiver. Zach Ertz’s deal is after the 2021 season and his recent numbers suggest that he’s been more productive than a lot of the top wideouts in the game.
With Austin Hooper resetting the tight end market this offseason and Kittle looking to blow it up, how does that impact the Eagles and there star tight end?
Hunter Henry is currently the NFL’s highest-paid after the Chargers placed their franchise tag on the talented pass catcher per Over The Cap.
According to ESPN.com, Kittles is looking to be more than all tight ends and he sounds like he wants his deal on par with some of the top wideouts.
“I don’t care about the tight end market,” Kittle’s agent, Jack Bechta, told NFL Network. “I’m being paid to do a George Kittle deal.”
Kittle, 26, is set to make $735,000 in 2020 on the final year of his rookie contract. The 49ers star is likely looking to land between $16-$20 million per season.
The Atlanta Falcons’ Julio Jones and the Dallas Cowboys’ Amari Cooper, are making $20 million per season or more, while the top 10 non-quarterback skill position players in the NFL average at least $16 million per.
With Kittle’s looking to shake up the market, how will his request to paid like a wideout go over with Ertz?
Hooper’s deal in Cleveland is 4 years, $42 million, with $23 million guaranteed.
In terms of annual salary, his $10.5 million average is second among tight ends, just behind Henry’s $10.6 million.
Kittle registered 85 receptions for 1,053 yards, and five scores in 14 games, a year after catching 88 passes for 1,377 yards and five touchdowns.
Ertz has been one of the NFL’s elite pass-catching tight ends over the last four years, catching over 70 passes in five straight seasons with three Pro Bowl selections to his name. Even with injuries and depth issues at the skill position, Ertz still had 88 catches for 916 yards and six touchdowns.
Ertz isn’t as explosive a player as Kittle, but his importance to the Eagles offense can’t be underscored.
The NFL leader in receptions by a tight end through the first seven seasons of his career (525), Ertz won’t be paid like a wide receiver, and doing such a thing would put the Eagles in a salary-cap crunch.
Ertz ability to play in the Y or as a Flex playmaker should allow him to move past Hooper and Hunter Henry in average per year, but there’s no way Howie Roseman can justify paying his tight end who’s not a YAC monster, anywhere near $13-$16 million per season he might want.
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