Former Commanders TE Zach Ertz confirms 2026 plans
Former Commanders TE Zach Ertz reveals his plans for next season.
We've heard former Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz wanted to return for a 14th NFL season in 2026. Ertz, who will be 36 in November, suffered a torn ACL in Washington's Week 14 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on December 7. Now, Ertz has confirmed he wants to play in 2026.
"I don't want it to be the last play that I have," Ertz told Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Even talking to people now, and they do it out of the goodness of their hearts, 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. " That's understandable. Ertz was still playing well for the Commanders last season, catching 50 passes for 504 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games last season.
In 2024, Ertz started all 17 games, caught 66 passes for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. He also started all three of Washington's playoff games. Ertz spent the first 8.