Whether the Philadelphia Eagles successfully defend their Super Bowl championship or not, they’ll have to make some interesting decisions when the season ends. Deciding whether star wideout A.J. Brown is worth the trouble or if they want to continue the Kevin Patullo experiment at offensive coordinator are just some of the items on the to-do list. But if you go a little further down, you’ll see the fate of tight end Dallas Goedert.
Goedert had a rocky offseason and was the subject of trade rumors last spring. But ultimately, the two sides agreed on a one-year, $10 million revised contract for this season. That deal has been a bargain as Goedert hauled in a pair of touchdowns in Philadelphia’s 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, but the Eagles now have to make a difficult decision on whether to bring him back or find an alternative for next season.
Dallas Goedert’s Big Season Might Have Eagles Rethinking His Philly Future
The Eagles' tight end room is becoming one of the most interesting developments ahead of next offseason. Goedert is putting the finishing touches on a stellar year that saw him enter Sunday’s game with 48 catches, 481 yards, and a career-high seven touchdowns. He then had his best game of the year against the Raiders, grabbing six catches for 70 yards and a pair of scores.
It’s been a fantastic rebound for Goedert, coming off a disappointing 2024 season that was marred by knee and hamstring injuries. But it also reminded Eagles fans of a similar situation with Zach Ertz. With Ertz entering his 30s during the 2021 season, general manager Howie Roseman made the decision to trade him to the Arizona Cardinals at the trade deadline, handing the starting position to Goedert.
That gamble paid off as Goedert entered Sunday ranked sixth in receptions (397), 13th in receiving touchdowns, and 15th in receiving yards (4,566) in franchise history. According to The Athletic’s Zach Berman, he also became the fifth player to record 400 catches on Sunday, joining Ertz, Harold Carmichael, Pete Retzlaff, and Brian Westbrook.
While that would be a dream scenario for the Eagles, they don’t have a similar succession plan on the roster. Grant Calcaterra would be the most likely player to take over for Goedert should he leave next spring, but he has just 38 catches for 466 yards and a touchdown over his four-year career, including five catches for 48 yards this season.
In addition, it’s hard to find an external option. David Njoku ($10.7 million) and Kyle Pitts ($11.7 million) both have market values exceeding $10 million, according to Spotrac, and other options such as Taysom Hill, Austin Hooper, and Noah Fant would be a significant drop off from Goedert.
With this year’s draft class without an elite talent at the tight end position, the Eagles' best chance may be to retain Goedert, who has a valuation of $11.2 million according to OverTheCap. Such a move could also require Philadelphia to get creative, and keeping Goedert around could force them to make another move, such as trading Brown next offseason — a move that frees up $7 million in cap space if done after June 1 per Spotrac.
While Goedert has expressed his desire to retire with the franchise, it may be out of Philadelphia’s hands, and it may require both sides to meet in the middle again and solve an underrated question that must be answered this offseason.