Zach Ertz returns to Philadelphia for the NFC title game as a key player for the Commanders

ASHBURN, Va. — The thought invaded Zach Ertz's mind late in 2023 when he was out of football and a year removed from knee surgery. He wasn't ready to retire, but he was worried about something.

''Are you still the same player?'' he wondered to himself.

Ertz not only showed he was, he's now one step from playing for another championship.

The veteran tight end returns to Philadelphia this weekend to face the Eagles in the NFC title game as a valuable member of the Washington Commanders' high-scoring offense. Either Ertz or the team he spent his first 8 1/2 NFL seasons with is going to the Super Bowl.

''When the whistle blows, it's not going to be about the nine years that I had there; it's going to be about trying to make as many plays for this team as possible,'' Ertz said this week. "But I'm not going out there with a chip on my shoulder or trying to prove to people X, Y or Z. I'm just trying to go out there and be the best version of myself.''

Ertz, 34, has been a darn good version of himself over the past several months, reinvigorating his love for football while playing for coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, whom he knew from his time with Arizona. Oh, and alongside rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, too.

''Obviously playing with a quarterback like Jayden has helped a ton,'' Ertz said.

Daniels targeted only No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin more than Ertz this season, completing 66 passes to him for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. The two connected seven times for 51 yards and one TD over the first two games of the playoffs.

''Obviously, a tight end could be a quarterback's best friend,'' Daniels said. ''He's seen a lot of football in this league, so (it has been nice) just to be able to lean on him in certain situations and kind of pick his brain.''

That same brain was concerned about what was to come after Ertz tore multiple ligaments in his right knee during a game in 2022. Following a trade the previous season from Philadelphia, the injury cut short his first full season with the Cardinals when Kingsbury was coaching them.

Turns out it was Ertz's only full season in the desert. Kingsbury had been fired the previous offseason, and the new regime released Ertz in November 2023. Despite some talk that a contender was interested in an experienced player with a winning resume, a contract did not materialize.

''I really didn't know what the future held,'' Ertz said. ''I didn't know if I was going to be done after I didn't picked up for a long time last year. And I had opportunities to play, but it wasn't the right opportunity.''

The right opportunity came in March after months of working with longtime trainer Shannon Turley, and new Commanders general manager Adam Peters hired Quinn and they brought on Kingsbury to run the offense. The rest has been a career renaissance.

''It was really an opportunity for me to just fall back in love with the game again, I would say, and really just enjoy the process again and just be around people that know how to use me and allow me to be at my best," Ertz said. ''It's exceeded all my expectations.''

Washington exceeded expectations by going 12-5 during the regular season and pulling off upsets at Tampa Bay and Detroit to play for a conference championship for the first time in 33 years. Ertz is one of just five players on the roster who was alive for the franchise's Super Bowl run back then.

A few gray hairs have not gone unnoticed to teammates glad Ertz signed on for another ride.

''He's got that veteran experience at all high-level situations, and he's done a great job I think just coming in and showing the young guys the ropes and how things are done and how to be a true professional,'' fourth-year tight end John Bates said. ''He's been a reliable target for us in the pass game and has stepped into every situation that we need him in and made big plays.''

Ertz, a three-time Pro Bowl selection during his time with the Eagles, including the 2017 season when he helped them win their first Super Bowl, knows he's not playing 90% of the snaps like he did in his prime. But success these days is less about volume and more about dependability, and Ertz has been a safety valve of sorts for Daniels.

''I had known red zone and third downs and two-minute would be a factor,'' Quinn said. ''And he's surpassed those and kept going.''

Ertz had just 18 catches in six games for Philadelphia in 2021, Nick Sirianni's first as coach, before getting traded to Arizona. The two exchanged words after the Commanders beat the Eagles on Dec. 22 in the teams' second meeting this season before clearing the air.

''Zach and I are good,'' Sirianni said. ''We talked after that night, had a good laugh. I've been very impressed with all the plays that he's made. Not that I'm surprised at all. ... He's playing really good football. He's been a big-time target for this team on third down and fourth down and doing all the things that I remember him being able to do at a very high level.''

While Daniels was still at Arizona State before transferring to LSU, where he won the Heisman Trophy last season, Ertz spent a little time with QB Jalen Hurts in Philly, where they bonded in the weight room.

''He's a very hard worker (with) his work ethic and all the time he put into taking care of his body," Ertz said. "He's had a very long and great career. He's still making an impact playing big-time ball.''

Ertz received a warm ovation in November for his first game back at Lincoln Financial Field and understands it won't be the same ''because they got a lot at stake, as well.'' He and wife Julie's Ertz Family Foundation still does work in the city he still loves — and he is glad he got the emotional return out of the way in the fall before the playoff intensity took over.

''I understand the environment it's going to be,'' Ertz said. ''Everyone knows how I feel about that building, the people in that building, the people in that community.''

Those in the crowd in Washington's burgundy and gold will be cheering for him, as they have since Ertz got his groove back.

"I just wanted an opportunity to come out here and prove that I am still the same guy," he said. "It's been awesome to be able to go out there and make plays for this team.''

___

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl