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Friday 11 September 2020 16:17, UK
Zach Ertz said he is preparing to play the 2020 season as if it will be his last with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ertz and the Eagles broke off contract talks; he has two years remaining on his current deal. On Thursday, Ertz said he would love to finish his career with the Eagles, but added "I don't know for sure if that feeling is mutual."
"It's been frustrating at times. It's been difficult," Ertz said of a potential contract extension for him in Philadelphia. "I've said all along I want to be here for the long run.
"I don't know for sure if that feeling is mutual. But I know I'm going to play this year like it is my last year and I'm going to leave everything I possibly have in the tank for this team and this city, because that's what this city deserves, nothing less."
In August, the San Francisco 49ers signed George Kittle to a five-year, $75m extension ($40m guaranteed), and the Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce agreed to a four-year, $57.25m deal ($20.75m guaranteed). Austin Hooper inked a four-year, $42m contract ($23m guaranteed) with the Cleveland Browns in March.
Ertz, 29, has two years remaining on a five-year, $42.5m contract he signed in January 2016. He is due to make $6.66m this year.
The offer Ertz turned down in November was worth more than the contract Hooper signed, NFL Network's Mike Silver reported after the Hooper signing in March. In speaking with the media in August, Ertz said he thought he was among the elite tight ends in the NFL.
"I do consider myself in ... that same tier with all those guys," he said on a Zoom call with reporters in the aftermath of the Kittle and Kelce deals. "I don't mean any disrespect, but I think a lot of guys in this building feel the same way about me.
"I'm never in the business of comparing people. I think all three of us are at the top of our games, and I think we're all perfect in the offense that we play in, honestly. I think we all have unique skill sets.
"We're all very different, with some similarities. But overall I don't think my game is any less than any of their games."
Ertz is expected to pass Harold Carmichael in 2020 as the most prolific pass catcher in Eagles history. In his first seven seasons in the NFL, all with the Eagles, Ertz has 525 catches for 5,743 yards with 35 touchdowns in 106 games (71 starts). Carmichael had 589 career catches.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns, rookie running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire racked up 138 yards and another score, and the Kansas City Chiefs began the defense of their first championship in 50 years by beating the Houston Texans 34-20 in Thursday night's NFL season opener.
Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill each caught touchdown passes for the Chiefs. Texans QB Deshaun Watson threw a TD and ran in for another score in the fourth quarter but, by then it was too little, too late after the Texans found themselves in a 31-7 shaped hole.
KC stat leaders: Patrick Mahomes, 24/32, 211 yards, 3 TDs
Rushing: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, 25 carries, 138 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Sammy Watkins, seven catches, 82 yards, 1 TD
Texans stat leaders: Deshaun Watson, 20/32, 253 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: David Johnson, 11 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Will Fuller, eight catches, 112 yards
Houston players stayed inside the locker room for the national anthems as Kansas players stood on the field before a shared moment of unity marked the NFL Kick-Off.
Following the death of George Floyd in police custody and the shooting of Jacob Blake, the NFL has watched on as sports and athletes around the world have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in peaceful protest, making their own stand and on Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans did exactly that.
The teams each chose a different approach during the playing of the national anthems before coming together as one just before kick-off in front of 15,895 fans at Arrowhead Stadium.
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