The Washington Commanders got back one of their best offensive weapons from 2024 when tight end Zach Ertz agreed to re-sign on a one-year deal.
It was an easy decision for Ertz, who knew almost immediately after the Commanders' season ended that he wanted to be back. "The game maybe ended at 6 p.m. [in Philadelphia]," Ertz said, "So 6:01 p.m. maybe was when I knew I wanted to be back."
Ertz is beyond the point in his career where money is one of his primary motivations. He wants to win as many football games as possible and feels like Washington is the best place for him to do that. Here are three factors that played into his decision to stay in the DMV.
1. It feels like family.
Ertz received a warm welcome when he arrived at the team facility to sign his contract. There was a line of coaches waiting for him in the lobby, all looking to congratulate him on the deal. "It feels like a family," Ertz said, and that's something he hasn't always experienced during his NFL career.
"The energy is different here," Ertz said.
The greeting he got earlier in the week was not a surprise to Ertz. He spoke often during the season about how much he loved playing for the Commanders because of how the coaches and players treated each other. He said he "fell in love" with the process and standard head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters were trying to establish, so much so that he knew he wanted to make it work so that he could stay with the team.
The word "family" gets thrown around a lot in sports, but Ertz said the Commanders are one of the teams that embody the philosophy of working it into their culture.
"People truly do care about other people's success," Ertz said. "And I think that is something that is rare in the NFL."