Few expected the Green Bay Packers to compete for a spot in the NFL Playoffs this season. After all, they traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in exchange for Jordan Love, their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They also allowed several veterans to leave via free agency and filled out their roster with rookies and other young players, particularly on offense.
Green Bay hasn’t won a game since Week Three, but their 5-6 record puts them just a half game out of the final NFC wild card spot. If they defeat the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night, they will pass the Seattle Seahawks for first place.
In other words, despite everything said about them before and during the season, the Packers are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. This is an important factor to remember, not only because it is exciting for the team, but also because it makes them potential late-season free agent signings.
The Arizona Cardinals have recently released three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zachary Ertz
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The Cardinals made their first trade for Zach Ertz in 2021, taking a chance on a player who had struggled to stay healthy in 2020. Ertz struggled to stay on the field after making three straight Pro Bowls between 2017 and 2019. As a result, the Philadelphia Eagles made the decision to trade him in the middle of the 2021 season.
In his first half-season with the Cardinals, Ertz had 56 receptions for 574 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games. Unfortunately, his injury problems reappeared in 2022, and he only appeared in 10 games. He has only played in seven games this season, and Arizona has been terrible. Ertz has 27 receptions for 187 yards and one touchdown in the games he has played.
Ertz was waived by the Cardinals earlier this week. He is now a free agent because no NFL team has claimed him.
According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, the Green Bay Packers are interested in Zach Ertz.
Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, and Ben Sims were the Packers’ rookie tight ends to begin the season. Josiah Deguara is also on their roster. Deguara, on the other hand, has been injured, and Musgrave has been placed on injured reserve with a lacerated kidney.
Because of the injuries, the Packers are thin at tight end, and because they are a possible wild card team, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that they have shown some interest in recent days in signing the now-free agent.
“I believe Green Bay could make sense.” I mean, you now have Luke Musgrave’s injury.
“I asked around about the Packers, and some people around the league said, ‘I think Green Bay makes sense.'”
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“I’m not reporting that the Packers are interested.” What I mean is that people around the league have told me, ‘Green Bay makes sense.’
“They’re beginning to get hot. They’ve won three of their last four games. Jordan Love has eight touchdowns to only two interceptions. They’re doing a fantastic job.
“They like Tucker Kraft as well, but Luke Musgrave is hurt.”
Schultz did say, however, that four teams have expressed serious interest in Ertz, and each has a better playoff position than Green Bay: the Eagles, the Chiefs, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Buffalo Bills.
The San Francisco 49ers were also mentioned as a potential sleeper team.
Would the Green Bay Packers Really Want Zach Ertz?
The Packers, as Schultz stated, have shown no interest in signing Ertz. Instead, others in the NFL believe that they should be interested and that they are a good fit for him.
There is really only one reason why the Packers are linked to Ertz, and that is Musgrave’s injury. Aside from that, there aren’t many other reasons for them to sign him. Green Bay, as Schultz stated, adores Tucker Kraft. As long as Kraft and Sims remain healthy, that may be all they require for the time being.
Indeed, there are three reasons why Ertz moving to Green Bay would be absurd. The first is that he is an injury-prone veteran who would be joining a young team already plagued by injuries. If the Packers look to the free agent market for a tight end, they almost certainly will not sign one who has struggled to stay on the field.
Second, the Packers will not spend as much money as other teams. This is why and how they were unable to sign Odell Beckham Jr. in 2021. They were interested and spoke with him, but they only offered him the league minimum because that was all they could afford. Beckham, on the other hand, signed for $4 million with the Los Angeles Rams and won a Super Bowl.
Finally, Ertz is no longer in his prime. Now that he has the ability to sign with any team that shows interest, he will sign with the one that offers him the most money AND the best chance of winning another Super Bowl. While Green Bay is on the verge of making the playoffs, they are far from a foregone conclusion when it comes to playoff teams. At this point, they are more likely to miss the playoffs than make it.
If they do make the NFL Playoffs, they want to do so on the strength of their young team.
It’s a fun thought, but Green Bay is unlikely to want Ertz, and he’s even less likely to want to sign with them.
