The Washington Commanders’ season this year just took a turn for the worse as they lost tight end Zach Ertz to a season-ending injury in their blowout loss against the Minnesota Vikings. According to reports, there’s no doubt that Ertz will miss the rest of the year, but many fear this could be the end of the career for the long-time veteran. Ertz signed a one-year extension this past offseason to finish off what he started with quarterback Jayden Daniels when the team went to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in more than a decade. However, things didn’t work out that way as injuries to Austin Ekeler and Jayden Daniels stopped that vision from happening.
Commanders 2025 Season Ends With Gruesome Zach Ertz Injury; 3 Next Teams for the Veteran
Ertz is scheduled to become a free agent this upcoming offseason, but many expect the veteran to retire. At age 35, it’s hard to imagine the type of recovery he will have, given the stage in his life. Originally selected in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, the former Stanford product is one of the league’s best tight ends who joins other greats like Jason Witten, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates. Ertz recorded 50 catches for 504 receiving yards while averaging 10.1 from scrimmage.
The veteran suffered the same injury in 2022, which isn’t the news that Ertz wants to hear. The tight end was left crying while being carted away, but this might not be the end of him. Ertz will take a break for the 2026 season to recover, but there should be teams keeping an eye on him if he can make a massive recovery before August next year.
Potential Next Teams
Baltimore Ravens
With Isaiah Likely set to become a free agent in March, the Baltimore Ravens will need backup help. The team signed veteran Mark Andrews to a monster deal, but that might be the final contract before he either retires or moves on to a contender to win a Super Bowl. For Ertz, this might be the destination that could suit him in a situational role while he slowly gets back to full-time. Andrews and Ertz have similar sizes and can turn into one of the most dangerous duos if Ertz decides to continue playing.
Ertz isn’t going to most explosive as he once was in Philadelphia, but his experience and attributes might be effective during the postseason.
Philadelphia Eagles
Meanwhile, no one should be surprised if the Eagles bring back Ertz. The former Super Bowl champions brought back linebacker Brandon Graham out of retirement and could do the same with Ertz if he decides to walk away from football. Current starter, Dallas Goedert, took a pay cut this past offseason, and as long as they can retain him for a cheap one-year contract, they could reunite the two again to run it back with quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Kansas City Chiefs
No matter what happens this 2025 season for the Chiefs, they need to think about the future of their tight end unit. Travis Kelce is on the brink of moving on with life into the sunset with pop star Taylor Swift this summer, which means retirement is a high possibility. Kelce is slated to become a free agent, and if the long-time athlete decides to hang up the boots, they should sign Ertz to a low-stakes deal for a year to salvage the unit while they develop their next Kelce.
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