Dallas Goedert was in Washington, D.C. on Monday, standing behind President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House with several Eagles teammates as they were honored for winning Super Bowl LIX. Will they soon be ex-Eagles teammates?
Tuesday morning, Goedert woke up to the news that the San Francisco 49ers made tight end George Kittle the highest-paid player at his position heading into the 2025 season. Kittle was given a four-year, $76.4 million contract extension, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Tuesday, per sources informed of the deal. The deal includes $40 million guaranteed.
It’s a deal that comes just a few weeks after the Arizona Cardinals made Trey McBride the highest-paid tight end. Then along came Kittle to surpass that. McBride is 25 and an ascending player after being taken in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Kittle is 32, two years older than Goedert, who is 30. Kittle is also better than Goedert, and more available on a consistent basis.
Goedert has missed 15 games the past three years, most of those with injuries. Kittle has missed five in that same span. His career production is nearly twice that of Goedert in receiving yards and touchdowns.
That’s not to say Goedert doesn’t have value. The Eagles are a better team with him on the roster, given who else they have on the roster at tight end - Grant Calcaterra, Harrison Bryant, Kylen Granson, and E.J. Jenkins.
The Eagles didn’t add to that room in the draft, which was somewhat surprising, and general manager Howie Roseman’s messaging afterward didn’t sound promising about a Goedert return.
“Dallas is part of the team as we speak,” said the GM after the draft ended. “As we go forward, we're going to continue to address things on this team, and right now, nothing further.”
What to do with Goedert has been one of the Eagles’ top offseason stories. Right now, he is the fifth-highest paid tight end in the league, with the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, 35, third, and the Vikings’ T.J. Hockenson, 27, fourth. The Eagles are probably trying to knock him lower in that pecking order.
Maybe it was a good sign that Goedert made the bus trip to Washington with his team. Roseman was on the trip. So was owner Jeffrey Lurie. Maybe there was some discussion about the tight end’s future in Philadelphia.
It's hard to imagine Goedert giving in to a team-friendly deal after watching two tight ends cash in with big-time contract extensions, especially since Goedert probably believes, as he should, that he is still one of the top five players in the league at his position.
Things should come to a head around June 1, when the terms of the tight end’s contract changes and the Eagles would save just over $4 million if he is traded or released on June 1 or after compared to having a $9.5M cap charge and absorbing a dead money hit of $21.3M.
