The Philadelphia Eagles enter their bye week with a 6-2 record, and they’ve done it while calming the chaos on offense. Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s task of replacing Kellen Moore has been a bumpy ride, and while A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley, and Jalen Hurts have criticized the game plan at times, the lone constant has been the performance of Dallas Goedert.
Goedert has been a standout this season, catching 30 passes for 289 yards and seven touchdowns over the first half of the season. With his contract ending after this year, he has also put himself in a strong position to cash in when he hits the market next spring.
For now, it’s a good problem for the Eagles to have as Goedert is healthy and producing for the team. But his contract situation creates a looming question that will hand Philadelphia a tough decision going into the offseason.
Dallas Goedert’s Future in Philadelphia is Suddenly Uncertain
There was a time this offseason when some believed Goedert had played his last game in an Eagles uniform. A second-round pick out of South Dakota State in the 2018 draft, Goedert ranks tied for sixth in receptions (379), 13th in receiving touchdowns (31), and 15th in receiving yards. But his play had declined with 42 catches for 496 yards and two touchdowns last season.
The decline, which was also caused by a hamstring injury that forced him to miss three games, led Philadelphia to seek a pay cut and even explore a deal that would have sent Goedert to the New York Giants. The two sides eventually agreed on a revised one-year, $10 million deal for this season, and it feels like the right price, as OverTheCap has given Goedert a $9.98 million valuation for his performance.
But the bigger question is what happens next.
Spotrac doesn’t have a projected market value for the 30-year-old Goedert (who will turn 31 on Jan. 3), but Eagles fans can piece it together by looking at other tight ends who will become free agents next spring. Tyler Higbee of the Los Angeles Rams is a year older than Goedert and has less production (13 catches, 121 yards, TD), meaning he could get north of the $5.7 million market value in Higbee’s Spotrac projection. Mark Andrews is nearly three years younger than Higbee and is projected for $7.2 million, which also could be a high-end for Goedert’s next contract.
The current list of contracts at OverTheCap also has some clues. Evan Engram (age 31) signed a two-year, $23 million contract ($8.6 million AAV) with the Denver Broncos this past offseason. Hunter Henry also cashed in in the 2024 offseason with a three-year, $27 million contract from the New England Patriots at age 30.
With Goedert over the age of 30, it’s a question of how long the Eagles want to hold on, and it repeats the situation they faced with Zach Ertz during his contract year in 2021. In his age-31 season, Ertz got off to another quick start with 18 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns in the first six games. But the Eagles were proactive, trading him to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the season instead of giving him the three-year, $31.6 million contract extension ($10.5 million AAV) he signed the following offseason.
The Eagles made the right decision with Ertz, who has averaged 41.8 catches for 373 yards and four touchdowns in four full seasons since leaving Philadelphia. They could choose to do the same if they feel like Goedert is a sell-high candidate at the Nov. 4 trade deadline; however, his situation may not be as simple as Philadelphia doesn’t have an obvious successor.
While paying Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts ($11.8 million market value per Spotrac), Tampa Bay’s Cade Otton ($11.6 million), or Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely ($10.1 million) is possible, all three are projected to cost $10 million per season. The 2026 draft class also doesn’t have an elite prospect, although Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq, Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, and Ohio State’s Max Klare are at the top of the list.
Are the options good enough to convince the Eagles to move on from Goedert? Or will his desire to retire as an Eagle win out, resulting in a cost-effective solution for both sides? It’s a question the Eagles have to ponder going into the second half of the season, and could see Goedert earn another big contract, whether it’s with Philadelphia or somewhere else.