Veteran tight end Zach Ertz has returned to Philadelphia for his second stint with the Eagles, and he says he never wanted to leave.
Ertz, who was drafted by the Eagles in 2013 and traded to the Cardinals in 2021, said he never knew if the Eagles would welcome him back, but always hoped they would.
“There was never a plan to come back,” Ertz said. “I never wanted to leave in the first place, so let’s just put that out there. The opportunity finally arose where I could come back. There’s been times I asked in the past to come back and it didn’t come to fruition for whatever reason. But for me, it’s just a blessing to be back.”
Ertz played for the Commanders last year but suffered a season-ending knee injury, and he wasn’t sure if he’d be back in Philadelphia or anywhere else.
“If you told me when I got hurt that I’d be back here in nine and a half months practicing for the Philadelphia Eagles, you could have signed me up then,” Ertz said. “For me, this is a place I always called home. When anyone asks my favorite place to play, everyone knows it’s here”
Ertz said there are still people in the Eagles’ facility who mean a lot to him, from teammates to coaches to the cafeteria staff.
“It’s special,” Ertz said. “It’s great to see the people I’ve missed for a long time. It’s special to be back, for sure.”
Ertz said he has spent the last nine and a months rehabbing his knee with the hopes to be ready to play as soon as he signs, but that he’ll let the coaching staff decide when or if he’s ready to be promoted from the practice squad to the active gameday roster.
“It’s up to the coaches. I’m not even on the active roster right now,” Ertz said. “It’s up to me to prove I can make a difference, whether it’s Year 1 or Year 14.”
Ertz is just glad to be back in Year 14 where it all started in Year 1.
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