Things were on a downward spiral for Ertz before the Commanders took a chance on the veteran tight end in free agency.
The ruling class still thought he had anything to contribute. Although supporters were intrigued by the prospect of reuniting with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, many chose to wait and see.
Ertz made a name for himself right away. The three-time Pro Bowl player became a leader in the locker room and had a positive rapport with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. This was positive, and it helped to quiet his skeptics once the regular season began.
The Commanders made significant strides throughout a campaign to remember. Ertz brought in 66 receptions for 654 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 17 games. He continued this trend over the playoffs, catching 18 balls for 155 yards through the air and one score.
He was one of the few positive aspects of Washington’s NFC Championship game defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. Although Ertz and the club had a poor season finale, the former Stanford second-round pick made it clear what he intended to do the following time.
Ertz wasted no time in telling reporters that he was not going to retire. That decision became an easy one after galvanizing his career in Washington. He also wants to be part of this exciting project for as long as the Commanders will have him.
Much will depend on the money involved. But from a production standpoint and overall influence on or off the field, Ertz did more than enough for an extended stay.
He did an incredible job of solidifying the remarkable culture shift. Ertz took on the mentorship role with Colson Yankoff, Ben Sinnott, and John Bates.
The veteran is a dependable outlet for Daniels — his second-most dependable pass-catcher behind Terry McLaurin. Another one-year deal seems feasible from a continuity standpoint if nothing else.
The Commanders shouldn’t settle. They’ll examine potential upgrades and the coaching staff will expect improvements from Sinnott in the coming months entering his NFL sophomore campaign. But there’s no accounting for experience and proven production — two traits that Ertz boasts in no uncertain terms.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Commanders approach things. This is a business and general manager Adam Peters is not running his roster construction with any sentiment attached. At the same time, having leaders like Ertz around during a critical Year 2 for this project could be worth its weight in gold.
Peters will asses every situation. He’ll have a price in mind and is unlikely to overpay. However, in Ertz’s case, the rewards far outweigh the risks regarding an extension.
