Former Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt broke some team news on Thursday that tight end Zach Ertz requested to be released and that the Cardinals would agree to it.
The team announced it later that Ertz was released from injured reserve.
Watt and Ertz are close friends, which is why Watt was able to break the news.
The 11-year veteran played in seven games this season after coming back from a torn ACL. He caught 27 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown before suffering a quad injury that landed him on IR.
Since Ertz got hurt, second-year tight end Trey McBride has emerged as the team’s No. 1 tight end. If and when Ertz returned from his quad injury, he was likely going to see a reduced role on offense.
Ertz wishes to join a team in playoff contention. He wants to win another Super Bowl.
Because it is after the trade deadline, he is subject waivers.
If he goes unclaimed, the Cardinals are on the hook for the remainder of his $8.755 million salary, or about $2.92 million. Any team claiming him would pay him that and have him under contract in 2024 for $7.95 million with a $1.5 million roster bonus due in March.
In another move, the Cardinals re-signed defensive lineman Ben Stille, whom they released from the active roster earlier in the week, to the practice squad.
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