When the Philadelphia Eagles locked up tight end Zach Ertz to a five-year deal, it was seen as a coup for the team. Ertz is a young, ascending player whose best years are, presumably, ahead of him. It'll be interesting then to see how the NFL world reacts to Adam Caplan of ESPN's report Tuesday that the Eagles also re-signed veteran tight end Brent Celek to a three-year, $13 million contract with $6 million guaranteed.
#Eagles and TE Brent Celek agreed to a 3-year, $13m deal with $6m guaranteed, per sources.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) January 26, 2016
In Kansas City, new Eagles head coach Doug Pederson made great use of tight end Travis Kelce. It's been presumed that Ertz would reprise Kelce's role in the Philadelphia offense, but with Celek re-signed, it may be a sign that the Philly 'O' will be all tight end, all the time next year.
The 31-year-old Celek had taken on a blocking-centric role under former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. He finished the 2015 season with just 27 receptions on 35 targets for 398 yards and three touchdowns. There was a time when Celek hovered near the 1,000-yard receiving mark, but he's far removed from those days.
He last broke 600-yards receiving in 2012.
Celek though, was a player that Kelly touted constantly as a strong leader and locker room presence. The Eagles re-signing Celek, who already has one year at $5 million left on his previous contract, may be as much about avoiding that figure while simultaneously securing a personality and player that will help ease the transition to a new era of Eagles football under Pederson, as it is about his expected exploits on the field.
