If this is it for Zach Ertz in an Eagles uniform, it’s a bummer that it ended the way it did – in an empty stadium, playing for a four-win team, and tanking the season finale for a better draft position. He wasn’t healthy this season and just never seemed to get started.

The Eagles’ three-time Pro Bowl tight end is likely to be playing in another city next season, and while nothing is official on that front, he became emotional on Monday when the topic was broached:

Man that really hits hard.

I know we’re caught up in the non-emotional and pragmatic world of draft picks and “business decisions,” but that’s such an authentic and organic expression there from Ertz, who will go down as the best tight end in Eagles franchise history. He played 117 games over eight seasons, caught 561 passes, scored 36 touchdowns, and won a Super Bowl. He’s the franchise leader in total targets and holds the single-season record with 116 receptions. On the various career charts, he’s typically behind only behind Harold Carmichael, Pete Retzlaff, and Mike Quick, all of whom had longer stints in Philadelphia.

Sometimes these things need time to resonate before we can take a proper look back and think about the careers that individual players had here. Zach Ertz is right up there with the best of them, and while it’s disappointing to see it end this way, he’ll no doubt go down as one of the best to wear the uniform.