12-year veteran tight end Zach Ertz announced that he will not retire and plans on suiting up for another season in 2025. A former second-round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Ertz has been one of the game’s more reliable receiving tight ends over the past decade. While he never reached the same heights as guys like Travis Kelce or Rob Gronkowski, the Stanford product has remained a reliable safety blanket for quarterbacks throughout his career and continued to be a productive threat in 2024. Helping guide rookie Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, the tight end finished the season with 66 receptions for 654 yards and seven touchdowns in his age-34 season.
Zach Ertz, not retiring, per Zach Ertz@JPFinlayNBCS #RaiseHail #Commanders pic.twitter.com/fR9oRrALrX
— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) January 27, 2025
Ertz wants to keep playing, but he might not return to the Washington Commanders. While the impending free agent sounds like he’d welcome a reunion, Washington may choose to move forward with promising youngster Ben Sinnott as their top option. If that happens, Zach Ertz could sign a one-year deal with a team like the Los Angeles Chargers or Carolina Panthers before choosing to retire.
Zach Ertz Will Not Retire, Could Continue Career With Chargers, Panthers
The Los Angeles Chargers made it to the playoffs in the first year of the Jim Harbaugh Era, but their poor offensive weapons prevented them from going on a deep playoff run. While Justin Herbert didn’t have his best day at the office, he played better than his box score would suggest. Second-round pick Ladd McConkey had a great game, but the rest of the pass-catchers actively sabotaged the quarterback. Harbaugh wants to win in the trenches, but he knows he must add some pass-catching talent in the offseason.
Fortunately, Zach Ertz is a perfect fit for what this offense needs. After trying to get by with washed-up veterans Hayden Hurst and Will Dissly, Ertz could easily be the top tight end in this passing attack. Armed with over $63 million in projected salary cap space, the Chargers should be able to sign Ertz and a star playmaker like Tee Higgins or Chris Godwin. With two big additions complementing McConkey, the sky is the limit for the Chargers in 2025.
Building Around Bryce Young
If Zach Ertz wants to win a championship before he chooses to retire, he might not play with the Panthers. However, nobody believed the Commanders would make it to the NFC Championship Game last year, so perhaps he likes the idea of playing with an up-and-coming quarterback like Bryce Young. After a rough start to his career, the Alabama product looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback down the stretch and should carry that momentum into 2025.
While most of Carolina’s offseason resources will go towards fixing the defense, this team could use another reliable veteran on offense. Youngsters Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders all showed promise as rookies, but it’s too early to say they’ll all succeed in the NFL. Ertz can give Young a consistent target in the passing game and can help Sanders develop into a long-term threat for this team.
Main Photo: Zach Ertz – USA Today Sports
