Commanders’ Zach Ertz Tears Up After Sustaining Season-Ending Injury

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz was in tears on Sunday, December 7, as he was carted off the field with a devastating knee injury.

Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed on Monday that Ertz, 35, sustained a torn ACL, marking the end of his 2025 season. As a free agent at the end of the season with a lengthy recovery on the way, the injury may have also been a career-ender for the three-time Pro Bowler.

“He has meant a lot to our team, both on and off the field,” said Quinn, 55, according to The Athletic. “He’s been an ideal teammate to help set a standard about habits, and so we’re all bummed for him.”

Ertz sustained the injury in the third quarter of Washington’s 31-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14. It happened as he leapt to catch a pass and Vikings safety Jay Ward ran into Ertz’s right leg. Ertz flipped and hit the ground hard, immediately grabbing for his knee.

Cameras showed him crying as he was loaded onto the cart, with teammate Marcus Mariota doing his best to console him.

“I ain’t going to lie; it was tough for everybody,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said after the game, according to ESPN. “He’s one of the linchpins of our team.”

“It breaks my heart when you see a great one like him, an all-time great [get hurt],” tight end John Bates added.

The injury also came with some controversy, as fans and media alike called out Ward, 25, for what they perceived to be a dirty hit. The NFL has not handed down any punishment for Ward as of Monday afternoon.

Ward’s coach, Kevin O’Connell, defended him after the game, saying there was “no bad intent” behind the hit.

“The unique thing about that is it wasn’t like Zach’s foot was planted on the ground, where you see some of those injuries,” explained O’Connell, 40. “He left the ground to make a play and was still in the air when that collision happened. Unless we start shrinking the strike zone to go along with the top side and start talking about ‘from the ground up’ and giving these guys a very, very tiny window to try to make a play.”

He continued, “It’s easy to play it back and slo-mo it and start to develop hypotheses on things, but the game is happening very, very fast. I always encourage people, when you’re down on the field, to take in just how violent and fast the game is, because you just hate seeing stuff like that. It’s the worst part of our game. And in many ways, I do believe it’s unavoidable in certain instances. Our job is to coach up the guys to make sure, if it’s avoidable, to do those things. Not only for their health, but for the other side as well.”

Even in his mid-30s, Ertz had become a dependable player for the Commanders, not missing a start since he joined the team in 2024. The 30 combined games he has played over the past two seasons is more than he has played in any two seasons since 2018-19.