Zach Ertz has been considered one of the greatest offensive weapons in Philadelphia Eagles history. Now, he’ll be joining a division rival for the franchise he won a Super Bowl title with. On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that Ertz will be signing with the Washington Commanders.
Zach Ertz Signs Free Agent Deal With Commanders
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network announced that Ertz and the Commanders have agreed to a one-year free agent deal worth up to $5 million. The deal reunites Ertz with former Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury and the “Air-Raid” offense.
After nine seasons with the Eagles, Ertz was traded to the Cardinals midway through the 2021 NFL season. In two seasons with Kingsbury, the Stanford product recorded 130 catches for over 1,100 yards and eight touchdowns.
After being granted his release late in December, Ertz joined the Detroit Lions practice squad during the team’s run to the NFC Championship Game to end the 2023 season.
Now, the aging veteran is looking for a new chance to earn a second Super Bowl title while helping the Commanders develop a young quarterback. With the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Washington is expected to select a top quarterback among the talented class.
For Washington, this fills a need at the tight end position after releasing last year’s starter in Logan Thomas last week. Ertz will now play alongside WR Terry McLaurin and help improve an offense that was 24th in yards and 25th in scoring during the 2023 season.
After spending more than eight seasons in Philadelphia to start his career, which included the game-winning touchdown catch in Super Bowl LII, Ertz will now be a divisional rival for his former team.
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Ertz played against his long-time team for the first time as a member of the Cardinals, in a Week 5 loss in 2022 in which he had six receptions for 48 yards. Now, as a member of the Commanders, he’ll not only be playing against his former team twice next season, but he’ll also be playing at Lincoln Financial Field for the first time as an opponent.
For Eagles fans, that will be an adjustment.
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