Bills Trade for Zach Ertz Was 'Almost a Done Deal,' Says Cardinals TE

No need for rumors here. According to the man himself, the Buffalo Bills nearly completed a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 for veteran tight end Zach Ertz.

The Buffalo Bills appear all set at the tight end position headed into the 2023 season. Dawson Knox and first-round rookie Dalton Kincaid now form a potentially potent duo in an already strong offense.

But selecting Kincaid may have not been in the "cards" during the draft if the Bills have made a deal with the Arizona Cardinals near the trade deadline in the 2021 campaign.

Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz revealed Saturday while accepting the Call to Courage Award that Buffalo nearly had a trade completed with the Philadelphia Eagles, his former team, that would've sent him to Western New York instead of the desert in 2021.

“I was getting traded out of Philadelphia,” Ertz said, per The Buffalo News. "There were a couple teams extremely interested, Buffalo being one of them. It was almost a done deal, but it just didn’t get over the finish line.”

Ertz was nearing the end of his deal with the Eagles, resulting in Philly wanting to get the most for him in return as possible. The trade - which sent a fifth-round pick and cornerback Tay Gowan to the Eagles - was announced on Oct. 15, 2021, as Ertz had left the team he played eight-and-a-half seasons for and won a Super Bowl with.

He said that someone within the Eagles front office pushed a potential trade with the Bills, but the deal fell through. Ertz is coming off a torn ACL this past season, but imagining the production he could've had in the Buffalo offense is certainly an intriguing thought for Bills Mafia.

Ertz, 32, is currently second among tight ends in career receiving yards (7,247) and receptions (682).

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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