After an uncomfortable offseason, Dallas Goedert is ‘stoked’ to still be with the Eagles
The tight end faced some uncertainty before his contract was reworked. "Obviously I’d love to play my entire career in Philadelphia, but I’m not too worried about that," he says.
Dallas Goedert’s seventh offseason with the Eagles brought him a new, rather uncomfortable experience.
The 30-year-old tight end was met with uncertainty and the feelings that come with it. He was under contract for one more season, but it became obvious that Goedert wasn’t going to be back with the Eagles for $14.25 million, the number owed to him in the final year of the four-year, $57 million extension he signed in 2021.
Would he be back with the Eagles? Would the Eagles meet the threshold, the lowest number he said he would play for? Would he experience life with a new NFL team? The Eagles’ offseason program began in April, and Goedert said he wasn’t there at the beginning while “we were trying to figure out what was going to happen.”
“There was definitely days that were filled with emotion, just kind of sat on the couch and stared at the TV blankly like, ‘What’s going to happen?’” he said Wednesday after Eagles practice, three weeks after he and the Eagles agreed on a new deal. A source said the one-year contract is worth $10 million plus incentives.
Goedert said his agent, Chase Callahan, would call him at points to say a deal was not close.
“Then he’d go back, and I don’t know what agents all do, but I think they make presentations and argue for their players,” Goedert said. “I let him do that, and he must’ve done a good enough job to get me back.
“I’m super stoked to be back here.”
It’s not hard to figure out what Callahan might have highlighted in a presentation for Goedert, not that the Eagles aren’t well versed in the slideshow. When healthy, Goedert is one of the better tight ends in the NFL. The caveat at the beginning of the previous sentence is important, though.
» READ MORE: Dallas Goedert’s return is a big win for the Eagles. It can still be a big one for him.
Goedert returned to full action in the Eagles’ playoff opener in a big way. He shielded himself from Green Bay’s Carrington Valentine with two stiff-arms en route to the end zone in a 22-10 Eagles win. He had four catches on four targets one week later against the Los Angeles Rams, seven catches on eight targets in the NFC championship game vs. Washington, and then reeled in two grabs during the Eagles’ blowout Super Bowl win.
But before the playoffs, Goedert missed multiple games because of separate injuries. He suffered a knee injury in Baltimore on Dec. 1 and did not return until the season finale against the New York Giants. Before that, Goedert missed three games from Week 7 to Week 9 with a hamstring injury. The 10 games he played marked the fewest of his seven-season NFL career and put his per-season average of games played at just 12.4 over the last five seasons. Goedert’s two regular-season touchdowns were a career low, and his 42 receptions also were his fewest since he caught 33 passes during his rookie season in 2018.
Without Goedert, though, the Eagles didn’t have many great options. They have depth at the position — especially since Howie Roseman signed veterans Harrison Bryant and Kylen Granson in free agency — but would have lacked talent at the top of the depth chart. Grant Calcaterra has performed well when called upon, but Goedert’s ability as a pass-catcher and blocker undoubtedly make the offense more potent compared to the Eagles’ alternatives.
The Eagles did not address the position during the draft. It resulted, of course, in Goedert being back with the only NFL team he has known. Being back at the NovaCare Complex this week for organized team activities is a comfortable position to be in compared to how some of the earlier portions of the offseason felt.
There’s a lingering reality, though. Goedert likely will be right back in the same spot in February.
“I’m really excited about this year,” he said. “Obviously, I’d love to play my entire career in Philadelphia, but I’m not too worried about that. I’m excited to see what happens this year, excited to put up a really good year, have a successful year with an incredible team, and let my agent handle his job and talks after the season.
“We’ll play this year and be the best player I can be, be the best teammate I can be, and let the rest of it work itself out.”