The Philadelphia Eagles have reworked the contract of tight end Zach Ertz in order to free up some cap space, according to Field Yates of ESPN. To do so, the Eagles converted $7.195 million of Ertz's base salary into a signing bonus, opening up $5.756 million of cap space in 2019.
Ertz, who is signed through 2021, is coming off of a remarkable 2018 campaign in which he set the record for receptions by a tight end with 116. He also added 1,163 yards and eight touchdowns on top of that en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
The 28-year-old played his collegiate football at Stanford University and was originally selected by Philadelphia in the second round (35th pick overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.
He played in all 16 games during his rookie season, catching 36 passes for 469 yards and four scores. He was then quite a bit more productive in his second year, snaring 58 balls for 702 yards while reaching the end zone three times.
Ertz quickly developed into one of the best tight ends in the league, and in his third season, he was even better, registering 75 catches for 853 yards and a couple of touchdowns.
The Orange, Ca. native earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2017 after finishing with 74 receptions for 824 yards and eight scores, and, in the process, he helped lead the Eagles to their first ever Super Bowl championship.
Philadelphia won nine games this past season and snuck into the playoffs during the final week. The Eagles then went on to upset the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round before falling to the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Round a week later.