Patriots must save Zach Ertz after Eagles embarrassment Sunday night

The Patriots really have no choice but to save TE Zach Ertz from Philadelphia.

The final game of the NFL regular season had the makings to go down as a classic, but it quickly turned into a mockery thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles and head coach Doug Pederson deciding to pull quarterback Jalen Hurts in favor of backup Nate Sudfeld, who began the year as their third-stringer and looked like he doesn’t even belong in the league.

While Pederson claimed his intent was to win the game, everybody knows his only motive was to preserve the Eagles’ draft spot. In doing so, he gifted Washington the NFC East crown after the Giants fought tooth and nail to beat Dallas in the early slate and put themselves in position to win it and thereby host a playoff game.

The move was an incredible disservice to the rest of Philadelphia’s roster, which was actually competing to win the game. And what about some of their veterans on expiring contracts who clearly don’t fit into their rebuild plans? Is this really how they wanted their respective Eagles tenures to end?

Of course not, and it all proves that the Patriots need to save tight end Zach Ertz from this national embarrassment. The 30-year-old stud was spotted alone on the bench after the game, likely coming to terms with how that could’ve been his final game with Philly.

Ertz has done everything for both the Eagles and the city of Philadelphia. He had a chance to go out playing spoiler against a division rival and his shameless coach deprived him of that opportunity by throwing a nationally-televised game with colossal playoff implications.

To put it simply, the three-time Pro Bowler needs to land on a team where winning, not draft position and politics, is the top priority. We know the Patriots fell short of expectations in 2020, but we wouldn’t count on them being down too long with how many roster upgrades they plan on making in the offseason.

New England has gaping holes at wide receiver and tight end, and Ertz would go a long way in patching them up. Injuries and awful quarterback play really made this a lost year for him, but he’s still undeniably one of the premier players at his position.

Over the last three campaigns Ertz averaged 92.6 receptions for 967.6 yards and 7.3 touchdowns. Not many receivers are capable of producing that sort of consistency, and the Patriots should really stop at nothing to strike a trade for him once the offseason rolls around.

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