Zach Ertz: I'm not retiring, just to make that clear

Veteran tight end Zach Ertz signed a one-year deal to join the Commanders last offseason as a free agent, having appeared in seven games for the Cardinals in 2023.

But playing alongside rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Ertz illustrated he’s still plenty productive. And now as he heads into free agency, he not only has no plans to retire, but also appears to want to be back with Washington in 2025.

“I think just being able to be here with the group of guys, the people, the quarterback, Kliff [Kingsbury], DQ [Dan Quinn], has just really allowed me to enjoy every single day,” Ertz said, via NBC 4 Washington. “A lot of time when you’re in a tough spot, the weight of just everything is heavy. And so this year just felt freeing, to just go out there and just being able to be myself every day — people that built me up in a way that they believe in me, they have confidence in me to go do what I do.

“And, obviously, playing with Jayden [Daniels] was extremely fun. It was a one-year [deal] so far, but I feel like we’re just scratching the surface as a quarterback and tight end combination.”

While Ertz acknowledged the uncertainty of the future, he did state plainly, “I still want to play football next year.”

“I just want to make that clear — that I’m not retiring,” he said, “just because I had so much fun this year. I feel rejuvenated. I feel young. This is the most amount of games I’ve played in a season at 34 and I felt like I played good football this year. So, for me, it’s just figuring out everything going forward. And they know how I feel about this place.”

Ertz caught 66 passes for 654 yards with seven touchdowns during the regular season. He then caught 18 passes for 155 yards with a TD during the playoffs.