Tight end Zach Ertz has this wish after devastating injury

Zach Ertz spent the past two seasons with the Washington Commanders, but the veteran tight end, who turned 35 years old this past November, is currently continuing his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered on Dec. 7. 

Ertz is a free agent, but he wants it known that he isn't ready to ride off into the sunset of retirement just yet. 

Zach Ertz doesn't want injury to define the end of his career

"I don’t want it to be the last play that I have," Ertz said about going down with his injury during a recent chat with Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "Even talking to people now, and they do it out of the goodness of their heart, and [they say], 'Man, that injury was tough.' When people think of my career and that last play, I don’t want that to be the conversation starter. And so, for me, it’s just doing everything I can to get back to my best because I felt like I was playing really good football before I got hurt." 

ESPN stats show that Ertz ended the 2025 regular season ranked second on the Commanders with 50 receptions, 72 targets and four touchdown catches. He was third on the team with 504 receiving yards. Such numbers suggest he could contribute to an advertised contender if he can reclaim that type of form this coming fall. 

Zach Ertz understands the reality of the current situation

"I’m going in with eyes wide open," Ertz said about possibly signing with a team this offseason. "I’m not going in with a lot of expectation. If I was a team, I probably wouldn’t expect me, based on the injury, based on my age — 'Hey, this is our Week 1 starter.' But I do think if I can get back to myself, that I’m still that same guy." 

According to McLane, the Commanders "haven’t ruled out" potentially re-signing Ertz via what likely would be a team-friendly contract. While Ertz featured for the Philadelphia Eagles from the 2013 NFL Draft until he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in October 2021, the Eagles will likely look to acquire a different pass-catcher during the upcoming draft. 

"I don’t want to retire with any regret," Ertz added. "Like, 'If only I worked a little harder, if only I tried a little harder, if only I studied a little more.' I’ve poured everything into this thing. And so, if I wasn’t able to play again, I could walk away knowing that, hey, I gave it my all. But I still want to play. And I think the time to reflect is when it’s officially done. But I don’t think that is right now."

It remains to be seen if at least one team agrees that Ertz still has something left in the tank.