Update on Dallas Goedert’s contract situation, possible extension
AP Photo/Michael Perez
As he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert is eligible for an extension this offseason.
Goedert on Wednesday indicated that contract discussions with the Eagles are ongoing.
“I think contract stuff is still in discussions a little bit,” Goedert said Wednesday in a press conference with the media. “I’m not too worried about that. I have to go out there and play really good football. … I’m leaving my contract stuff to my agent. He does a great job of that; that’s why I pay him. But I just have to go out here every day, continue to work, continue to get better.”
Goedert, 26, has spent the first three years of his career sharing the field with Zach Ertz, but it seems very likely that Ertz won’t be Philadelphia for the 2021 season. And that sets up an interesting situation.
Goedert is already a top 10 tight end in the NFL, but the absence of Ertz could open up more possibilities for him in 2021. Remember, Goedert is set to make a base salary of just $1.25 million this season, so he is underpaid.
So would Goedert rather get an extension done now or try to hit the open market and really cash in next offseason?
“That’s always a tough situation,” Goedert said. “For me, if I could get the contract extension, I would love to be in Philly forever. Having the second contract is the ultimate goal. The sooner you can get to it, I feel like it’s better. But either way, whether I get it or not, I’m going to have the same mentality. I have to go in there, have a good year, we have to make the playoffs, we have to get more wins than we did last year.”
Last season, in just 11 games, Goedert caught 46 passes for 524 yards and 3 touchdowns. In his first three seasons, he had played 42 games and has 137 catches for 1,465 yards and 12 touchdowns. Goedert was fifth in the NFL among tight ends in yards per game last season. But it’s also very important to point out that Goedert is an exceptional blocker.
Maybe he’ll never catch the volume of passes Ertz did in Philly, but Goedert has always been a better blocker and still has huge upside as a receiver.
Earlier this offseason, ProFootballFocus ranked Goedert as the fifth-best tight end in the league. While you may think PFF rankings mean a whole lotta nothing, they do their rankings on overall play, so at least Goedert’s blocking is accounted for.
“Obviously, everybody out here wants to get as much money as they can,” Goedert said. “Like I said last time, George Kittle helped it out, Travis Kelce helped it out. The two signings from the Patriots (Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith) helped it out. That’s kind of what we have to do as tight ends. Know our value and hold the organizations to as much as we can get and continue to raise that bar.”
“Year 4 is crazy,” Goedert said. “The first three years flew by. Looking forward to this Year 4. Where I rank? We’ve got a lot of good tight ends in the league. I think I’m up there at the top.”
