Great Return: Zach Ertz Keeps Eye on the Prize, Not Emotional Reunion

After spending nine seasons with the Eagles to begin his career, Zach Ertz will be an opponent at Lincoln Financial Field for the first time on Thursday night as Washington plays Philadelphia.

Ertz, who caught the go-ahead touchdown to help the Eagles defeat the Patriots in Super Bowl LII, said this week that he’s not trying to make too much out of playing in Philadelphia for the first time since the club traded him to Arizona midway through the 2021 season.

“I mean, obviously, everyone kind of knows how I feel about that place — special place in our hearts,” Ertz said, via Sam Fortier of the Washington Post. “Was there for a long time, nine years. And so, it’ll be great to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a long time. But at the same time, just excited to go out there and play football. Short week, being able to get over the Steelers game quickly is going to be good. And just the opportunity for us to go out there and show what we can do on a national stage. I’m not making this any bigger than it needs to be. Everyone knows how I feel about them, so I’m just looking forward to the game.”

Ertz added that even though he’s played against the Eagles before, it likely will be different to go back to his former stadium.

“I’ve played them before, so I’ve seen a lot of the people that travel and are part of the football operation,” Ertz said. “But there’s a lot of people I haven’t seen — people that don’t necessarily travel, some of the stadium people I haven’t seen in a long time. And, obviously, I have friends on the team, but the team has changed a lot as well.

“So, just to be able to go out there and play as a visitor — I don’t know what the reception is going to be, but I’m just excited to go out there and play football.”

Ertz may not be sure about the reception he’ll get, but one of his former teammates also had an opinion on that.

“He’ll probably get a good reaction,” Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert said this week, via Zach Berman of AllPhilly.com. “Not many people have scored a game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl in Philadelphia history. So I’m sure they’ll be happy to see him again.”