With the Philadelphia Eagles not playing until Monday night, fans in the City of Brotherly Love got a chance to sit back on Sunday to see what the rest of the league is up to, along with former Eagles players.
One of those former Eagles in action on Sunday was veteran tight end Zach Ertz, who is in his second year with the Washington Commanders. Although Ertz has still played a key role in the Commanders' offense, his lackluster statistical performance has fans wondering how much juice he truly has left in the tank.
Unfortunately, we may never get to learn that answer. Eagles and Commanders fans saw the veteran tight end suffer a terrible knee injury against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, forcing him to be carted off the field. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Washington head coach Dan Quinn told reporters that Ertz is feared to have a torn ACL.
Ertz was very emotional on the cart with a towel over his head as he exited Sunday’s game. For Eagles and Commanders fans alike, they hate to see Ertz get hurt as he’s a constant pro on and off the field.
At 35 years old, some fans wonder if this will be the last time that we see the veteran playmaker on the field. Ertz has accomplished so much in his career, which includes winning a Super Bowl. It is tough to come back from an ACL injury, no matter your age, but at 35-plus, that task gets harder.
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After a fun-filled 2024 season that saw the Commanders come up short against the Eagles in the NFC title game, Ertz decided to come back for another year, re-signing for $6.25 million on a one-year deal.
When he re-signed with Washington this summer, Ertz explained his thought process behind it, highlighting how he’s playing to compete for and the process that comes along with it in an interview with DJ Siddiqi of Forbes.
"“It was a no-brainer... Honestly, the season that we had, the enjoyment of the process that I was able to experience last year in D.C. with Coach Quinn, (general manager) Adam Peters was a no-brainer. At this point in my career, I’m not just playing to play the game. I’m playing the game to be a part of an organization that is competing at a high level, is loving the process and doing everything they can to put their players in positions to be successful. The reality of the situation is that’s not every team in the NFL.""Zach Ertz, July 2025
While that may have been true before the regular season began, one has to wonder if Ertz will still have those same feelings when the dust settles. After Sunday’s 31-0 loss to the Vikings, Washington is now 3-10 and destined for a top-10 pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
This squad is nowhere near being competitive, as they need to retool at a few key positions to compete in the NFC East and get back to the NFC Championship game in 2026. Coming off an ACL injury, will the Commanders want to bring back Ertz, who will be 36 during next season? Or will they want to try to get younger?
As for Ertz, he obviously doesn't want his last game to be the one where he suffered an ACL injury and got carted off. At the same time, he doesn't have job security, as he's on a one-year contract. On top of that, any team interested in signing him (if he still wants to play) will be taking on a huge risk, whether that's the Commanders or another team.
In the meantime, Eagles fans wish Ertz nothing but the quickest and fullest recovery, hoping that he — whether he keeps playing or not — can enjoy a pain-free life once his recovery is over.