Zach Ertz returns to Lincoln Financial Field Thursday for the first time since the Philadelphia Eagles traded him in 2021.
It’ll be jarring to see Ertz, the Eagles’ all-time receptions leader among tight ends, in the starting lineup for the Washington Commanders. The teams are staunch division rivals separated by just 140 miles.
But both Ertz and the Eagles are better for what was at the time an emotional divorce after 8.5 successful years together in South Philly.
Philadelphia Eagles Welcome Back Zach Ertz
A fan base that famously pelted Santa Claus with snowballs isn’t known for its sentimentality.
But there’s reason to believe Ertz will be welcomed warmly. He is, after all, the only Eagles player to score a game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.
That moment — an 11-yard catch from Nick Foles against Devin McCourty late in the Eagles’ Super Bowl 52 victory over the New England Patriots — was the high-water mark of not just Ertz’s time in Philadelphia, but the Eagles’ entire history.
Not enough people talking about how Ertz made McCourty, one of the better safeties in the nfl, look silly on the go-ahead td. Oh and let’s not forget what he did to Harrison Smith in the NFCCG. Ertz is elite pic.twitter.com/QVGY1WYVGq
— Ninos ن (@Ninosssssssss) February 13, 2018
“Just because I’m playing down here now doesn’t change how I feel about the city and the people and the fans there,” Ertz this week told NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I don’t know what the reception will be. At the same time, it’s going to be a good day, it’s going to be a fun day to see so many familiar faces.”
Ertz, now 34, was a young man when the Eagles made him the NFL Draft‘s 35th overall pick in 2013. He had a decorated career at Stanford and decided to forego his final year of eligibility when it became clear he’d be a high pick.
Neither Ertz nor the Eagles regretted their decision.
He went on to catch more passes than any tight end in franchise history (579). He’s second behind Pete Retzlaff among Eagles tight ends in receiving yards (6,267). During his time in Philadelphia, Ertz made three Pro Bowls and appeared in seven playoff games.
But he sensed his days in Philadelphia were numbered as early as 2018, when Howie Roseman again used a second-round draft pick on a tight end.
The Story Behind the Ertz Trade
That April, the Eagles were so intrigued by South Dakota State’s Dallas Goedert that they gave up a fifth-rounder to move up three spots in Round 2 to ensure they got him.
Goedert and Ertz coexisted nicely when Philadelphia built its offense around them both.
But by 2021, things had changed. Doug Pederson was out, and Nick Sirianni was in. And when the Eagles drafted DeVonta Smith 10th overall, it allowed them to transition from a two tight-end to a three-wide offense.
Plus, the Eagles weren’t going to pay both of their tight ends, and Goedert was the clear future.
“I think that Zach was very vocal in that he wanted to still be a featured tight end and a guy who was getting the amount of touches that a starter gets,” center Jason Kelce said at the time. “For that specific scenario, I think (the trade) makes sense for both parties.”
Goedert agreed.
“Neither of us really wanted to be splitting time,” he said. “We both felt that we should be the No. 1 tight end, and be in on first, second and third down. It was what it was. We’d been doing it for so long.
“I understood the situation that we had in hand with him and I there. But splitting time wasn’t something that either of us really wanted to do.”
The Eagles bowed to reality on Oct. 15, 2021, trading Ertz to the Cardinals for rookie cornerback Tay Gowan and a fifth-round pick.
Ertz’s Post-Eagles Career
In the three calendar years since his trade from Philadelphia, Ertz has appeared in just 38 games.
He was a useful contributor but not really an impact player with the Cardinals. He produced fewer than 600 yards and five touchdowns in each of his three seasons with Arizona, missing significant time with knee and quadriceps injuries.
Ertz ultimately asked for and was granted his release from Arizona in late 2023, and after a one-week stint on the Detroit Lions’ practice squad that postseason, was a free agent in 2024.
However, Ertz didn’t stay unemployed long. He had an ally in Kliff Kingsbury, his head coach in Arizona in 2021 and 2022.
Kingsbury was the new Commanders offensive coordinator, and the two decided to give it another go. As a result, Ertz signed a one-year contract with Washington in March.
It’s worked out well. In 10 games, Ertz has 37 catches for 381 yards and a touchdown on a Washinton team that, with a win Thursday, will sit atop the NFC East.