Zachary Adam Ertz (born November 10, 1990) is an American professional football tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. Ertz played nine seasons with the Eagles, making three Pro Bowls and winning Super Bowl LII with them. He set the NFL record for most receptions in a season by a tight end in 2018, which stood until eclipsed by Trey McBride in 2025. Ertz has also been a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, and Washington Commanders. His wife Julie is a former player for the U.S. national soccer team.
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Early life
Born in Orange, California, Ertz grew up as the oldest of four children. His father played for the Lehigh University football team from 1981 to 1984. Ertz played high school football and basketball at Monte Vista High School in Danville, California. As a senior, he had 56 receptions, 756 receiving yards, and 14 receiving touchdowns for the football team and was named to the All-East Bay Athletic League first team.
College career
Ertz attended Stanford University, where he played football for the Cardinal from 2009 to 2012. He redshirted the 2009 season. In 2010, he played 13 games and had 16 catches for 190 yards and five touchdowns. He had two receptions, including a touchdown, in the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech that year.
Ertz had 27 receptions, 343 receiving yards, and four receiving touchdowns in 2011, despite missing three games due to a knee injury. In the Fiesta Bowl, he had four catches and one touchdown against Oklahoma State. The following season, as a junior, Ertz had 69 catches, 898 receiving yards, and six touchdowns. He had three catches for 61 yards in the Rose Bowl. His 898 receiving yards was the most by an FBS tight end that season. He was a unanimous All-American, a finalist for the Mackey Award, and an All-Pac-12 first team selection.
After the 2012 season, Ertz announced that he would enter the NFL draft.
Professional career
Pre-draft
On January 8, 2013, Ertz announced, through a statement released by Stanford, his decision to forgo his senior season and enter the 2013 NFL Draft. He was ranked as the second best tight end prospect in the draft by ESPN Scouts Inc. He was one of 19 tight ends to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He completed all of the combine and positional drills and finished second in the bench press, third in the three-cone drill, and finished ninth, among all tight ends, in the 40-yard dash.
On March 24, 2013, Ertz attended Stanford's pro day and opted to perform some of the drills again in an attempt to shorten some of his times and increase his vertical and broad jump. He successfully posted better numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.67s), 20-yard dash (2.74s), 10-yard dash (1.64s), vertical jump (35.5"), and broad jump (9'6"). During the pre-draft process, he attended private visits and workouts with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Ertz was projected to be a late first round pick or second round pick in the draft by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the second best tight end prospect in the draft by Sports Illustrated, DraftScout.com, SBNation, and NFL analysts Mike Mayock, Mel Kiper, and Rob Rang. Ertz was also ranked the fifth best tight end by NFL analyst Josh Norris.
Philadelphia Eagles (first stint)
The Philadelphia Eagles selected Ertz in the second round (35th overall) of the 2013 NFL draft. He was the second tight end drafted behind Notre Dame's Tyler Eifert, but ahead of future Pro Bowlers Travis Kelce and Jordan Reed and fellow Stanford teammate Levine Toilolo. Head coach Chip Kelly explained the selection of Ertz and his plan to use three-tight end sets that had been successfully used by the New England Patriots.
On May 9, 2013, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Ertz to a four-year, $5.37 million contract that included $3.65 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.29 million.
Ertz was unable to attend organized team activities due to the NFL's policy on players completing their college quarter before joining their team's off-season programs. He arrived in June and joined the team in time to participate in the Eagles' minicamp. Throughout training camp, he competed to be the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart against veterans James Casey and Clay Harbor. Head coach Chip Kelly named Ertz the third tight end on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Brent Celek and James Casey.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener at the Washington Redskins and made his first career reception on an 11-yard pass by Michael Vick in the first quarter of their 33–27 victory. He was targeted three times, but only finished with one reception. On September 29, 2013, Ertz earned his first career start after surpassing James Casey on the depth chart and was designated as the top receiving option at tight end. He finished the Eagles' 52–20 loss at the Denver Broncos with one reception for 38 yards. In Week 9, he made five receptions for 42 yards and caught his first career touchdown during a 49–20 victory at the Oakland Raiders. He scored his first career touchdown on a 15-yard pass from quarterback Nick Foles in the second quarter and caught the fourth of the NFL-record tying seven touchdown passes thrown by Foles during the game. On December 1, 2013, Ertz made five catches for a season-high 68 receiving yards and two touchdowns during a 24–21 win against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. It marked his first career game with multiple touchdown receptions. In Week 15, he caught a season-high six passes for 57 yards in the Eagles' 48–30 loss at the Minnesota Vikings. He finished his rookie season in 2013 with 36 receptions for 469 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 16 games and three starts.
Arizona Cardinals
Ertz was traded to the Arizona Cardinals on October 15, 2021, in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan and a fifth-round selection in the 2022 NFL draft. In the 2021 season, Ertz finished with 74 receptions for 763 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns.
On March 13, 2022, Ertz signed a three-year, $31.65 million extension with the Cardinals. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10 and was placed on injured reserve on November 26, 2022. He appeared in and started ten games in the 2022 season. He finished with 47 receptions for 406 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.
On October 24, 2023, Ertz was placed on injured reserve with a quadriceps injury. He was waived on November 30, following his request to be released. In seven games with the Cardinals, he had 27 receptions for 187 yards and one touchdown.
Detroit Lions
On January 22, 2024, Ertz signed with the Detroit Lions practice squad as a result of an injury to Brock Wright. His contract expired when the team's season ended on January 28, 2024.
Washington Commanders
On March 12, 2024, Ertz signed a one-year contract with the Washington Commanders. In a Week 17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Ertz recorded six receptions for 72 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in overtime that clinched the Commanders' playoff berth. He finished the 2024 season with 66 receptions for 654 yards and seven touchdowns. Visiting his former team in the 2024 NFC Championship Game, Ertz compiled a team leading 11 receptions for 104 yards on 16 targets despite the 55–23 loss.
On March 11, 2025, Ertz re-signed with the Commanders on a one-year, $6.25 million contract. In Week 13 of the 2025 season, Ertz caught his 816th reception, making him the fifth ranked tight end with the most receptions in NFL history and surpassing Shannon Sharpe. On December 7, 2025, during a game against the Minnesota Vikings, Ertz's right leg was hit by the Vikings' Jay Ward while Ertz was in the air attempting to make a catch. The hit buckled Ertz's knee, and he was helped off the field and then carted to the locker room. Three days later, the Commanders placed him on injured reserve due to a torn ACL in his right knee.
Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)
On September 21, 2026, Ertz signed with the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.
Career statistics
Career highlights
Awards and honors
NFL
Super Bowl champion (LII)
3× Pro Bowl (2017–2019)
3× NFL Top 100 — 68th (2018), 40th (2019), 85th (2020)
College
Ozzie Newsome Award (2012)
Unanimous All-American (2012)
First-team All-Pac-12 (2012)
Records
Career 2-point conversions scored: 7 (tied with Marshall Faulk, Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley)
Most receptions in a single game: 15
Most receptions in a single season: 116 (2018)
Personal life
Ertz is a Christian. On February 26, 2016, Ertz proposed to professional soccer player Julie Johnston, then a starting defensive midfielder for the U.S. women's national team, at Klein Field, the Stanford University baseball stadium where they first met. They married on March 26, 2017, in Goleta, California. They were featured in ESPN's The Body Issue magazine in 2017. The couple's first child, a son named Madden, was born on August 11, 2022. The couple welcomed twin sons Kace and Kyren on August 24, 2024.