Zach Ertz Looks for a New Chapter in Football: JJ Watt Verifies Arizona Cardinals Release

Zach Ertz, a three-time Pro Bowl tight end, has expressed his desire to leave the Arizona Cardinals, and his friend JJ Watt has backed up this decision.

Though Watt mockingly joked about how simple it was to be an NFL insider at the time of the revelation, ESPN’s Adam Schefter later confirmed Watt’s initial Friday announcement.

The Cardinals granted Ertz’s request to be released, and he will now finish the season somewhere in hopes of joining a Super Bowl contender and winning a second championship ring. Before being traded to the Cardinals in October 2021, the 33-year-old, who was first selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, was instrumental in the Eagles’ 2018 Super Bowl victory.

Following ACL surgery, Ertz, who suffered a season-ending knee injury the previous year, was able to resume playing. But with rookie tight end Trey McBride becoming more and more important in the team’s offensive scheme for 2023, Ertz probably made his choice with the Cardinals’ long-term plans in mind. As his time in Arizona comes to an end, Ertz leaves a legacy of 28 games, 130 receptions, 1,167 yards, and eight touchdowns.

Watt and professional golfer Jon Rahm were important members of Ertz’s support network during his recuperation. The three, who were connected by a lively group chat, showed their friendship at the Masters in August. In addition to their shared athletic background, the three friends are united by the fact that their spouses were once athletes: Julie Ertz, a two-time World Cup winner, and Kealia Watt, a player in the National Women’s Soccer League. At Arizona State, Jon Rahm’s spouse, Kelley Cahill Rahm, excelled in javelin throwing as a collegiate athlete.

Watt and Rahm’s support will probably be important to Ertz as he sets out to find his next football destination. The friends’ close relationship and Watt’s aptitude for breaking news may provide Ertz’s future aspirations some clues.