Of all the unexpected success stories on the Washington Commanders this season, probably none stands above veteran tight end Zach Ertz.
Ertz’s career was DOA by the time he signed a 1-year, $3 million contract with the Commanders in March 2024 — his fourth team in 4 seasons and a world removed from his 9 seasons as one of the NFL’s most dominant tight ends with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013 to 2021.
In Ertz, the Commanders found nothing short of a revelation. Lacking a legitimate WR2 option after NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin, Ertz filled that void and became one of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ favorite targets and finished second on the team with 66 receptions for 654 yards and 7 touchdowns.
The Commanders went 12-5 in the regular season — their best record since 1991 — and defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round for their first playoff victory since 2005.
Now, with an NFC Divisional Round matchup against the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions on tap on January 18, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay should move to sign the 34-year-old Ertz to a new deal.
“The Commanders have to be happy with the returns on their one-year, $3 million investment into Ertz,” Kay wrote. “While he’ll likely earn a raise on his next deal, retaining the 34-year-old should be a priority for a team that has the third-most projected cap space in the league.”
Ertz Didn’t Inspire Confidence in Preseason
Ertz’s role headed into the season — from the outside looking in — was more in line with being a placeholder at the position for 2024 second round pick Ben Sinnott and definitely not as one of the best players on a playoff team.
Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon even had Ertz on his list of the potential “Biggest Busts” in the NFL headed into the season.
“Zach Ertz has reliable hands,” Kenyon wrote. “For rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, that will be a positive in a safety outlet. At this point of Ertz’s career, however, that’s about as positive as it gets. He hardly generates any yards after the catch and is no longer a high-volume target.”
Dominant Decade With Philadelphia Eagles
Ertz spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Eagles after they selected him in the second round (No. 35 overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.
Ertz made three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2017 to 2019 and was part of the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning team following the 2017 season. He had at least 700 receiving yards every season from 2014 to 2019 and had a career year in 2018, when he set an NFL record for tight ends with 116 receptions to go with 1,163 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. He also holds Philadelphia franchise records for most receptions in a single game (15) and mosts receptions in a single season (116).
In 2021, Ertz was traded to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the season and bounced back with 74 receptions for 763 yards and 5 touchdowns. His play landed him another big payday after he signed a 3-year, $31.65 million contract with the Cardinals in March 2022.
Over the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Ertz missed 17 games due to injury and was eventually released by the Cardinals toward the end of the 2023 season and finished the year on the practice squad for the Lions.
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