When Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz told former teammate J.J. Watt earlier today that Ertz had requested, and would be granted, his release, Ertz added that he plans to sign with a Super Bowl contender.
There’s an important step in the process before Ertz will be able to select his next destination.
After the trade deadline, all players who are released must pass through waivers. Every team — even the non-contenders — will have the ability to make a claim for the balance of Ertz’s contract. If only one team that Ertz wouldn’t want to join makes a claim, he’s stuck.
Anyone who claims Ertz would assume the balance of his $8.755 million contract. With the Cardinals on the hook for Week 13, a new team would owe Ertz $2.43 million.
Given his performances to date this season, it’s a lot to pay. But what if a team (like the Commanders or Giants) wants to simply prevent the Eagles from bringing back an old friend who could become a key contributor down the stretch?
In 2002, Washington released Deion Sanders from the reserve-retired list so that he could join the Raiders. The Chargers (among others) made a waivers claim. And the Chargers did it knowing that Deion would not have joined them. The coach at the time was Marty Schottenheimer. His arrival in Washington a year earlier was the main reason why Deion had retired.
Ertz could retire or otherwise not show up if claimed by a team he doesn’t want to play for. He’d be losing $2.43 million, however.
It’s far better for the Cardinals if he’s claimed. If Ertz isn’t claimed, he’d be entitled to the balance of his salary as termination pay — unless he agreed to waive it in order to get his release.
Regardless, there’s a way for any non-Super Bowl contender to throw a wrench in Ertz’s plan. Whether any team will do it is a different question from whether any team can. And the truth is that every team can.
