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Cincinnati Bengals: What Zach Ertz’s Extension Means for Tyler Eifert

By Tim Daniel

Jan 9, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) runs the ball during the third quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 3, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz (86) carries the ball during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
Jan 3, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz (86) carries the ball during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim O /

With the big news of Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz getting a huge contract extension, many young players at the same position now know they have some extra cash to look forward to. See for example the Bengals very own Tyler Eifert.

When Tyler Eifert was picked the the 21st pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Eifert signed a contract reported by spotrac.com at four years and $8,256,001 with $7,490,592 of that guaranteed. Easy to say that after this past season where Eifert scored 13 touchdowns despite missing three games, the Bengals will have to fork out some extra cash to keep the best red zone target in the NFL.

To put in comparison Zach Ertz and Tyler Eifert, nfl.com shows their stats as follows:

Zach Ertz in 15 regular season games75 catches, 853 yards, and two touchdowns…. Two touchdowns got Ertz a 5-year, $42 million extension… The Eagle broke the bank for him.

Tyler Eifert in 13 regular season games (two less than Ertz this season) made 52 catches for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns, and a trip to his first Pro Bowl.

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What is impressive about Ertz is the fact that the Eagles at times were a disaster on offense and he was a constant for them, but what does this mean for guys like Tyler Eifert?

Tyler Eifert is about to get paid, simply put. The Bengals have been waiting for a tight end like this for a very long time (No offense to Jermaine Gresham intended). He is a constant target of Andy Dalton on key third downs, and especially in the end zone. He takes a lot of pressure off of star wideout A.J. Green, and the Bengals offense just seems to roll perfectly when he is in the game.

If the team wishes, they can even look at extending Eifert before next season, something we have seen the team do the past few off seasons with key players Geno Atkins, Andy Dalton, and A.J. Green.

Simply put, if the Bengals want to keep Eifert, Zach Ertz has definitely upped the price and put the pressure on the team to make sure they keep their young tight end in black and orange… Or somebody else will gladly pay him.

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