When Dallas Goedert reported to spring minicamps in early June, he talked about wanting to enter the 2021 campaign with a contract extension. His preference was to get a deal done prior to Week 1. Well, it appears as if those negotiations are at a noteworthy standstill.
Neither side has made any noise about an extension being imminent with less than three weeks until the regular-season opener. Goedert is due roughly $1.2 million in base salary (via Spotrac) this season, then his rookie contract expires and he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2022. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Eagles might be waiting for “another domino to drop” as trade talks heat up in regards to Deshaun Watson.
The Houston Texans want a king’s ransom for Watson despite 22 civil lawsuits levied against the Pro Bowl quarterback. Philadelphia would likely have to give up ample draft picks – two to three first-rounders – and a promising young player. While the Eagles are sure to dangle Andre Dillard out there, the Texans might ask for Goedert in those talks. The crux of the matter may come down to what happens to Zach Ertz. His decision to stay in Philly, even on an interim basis, could heavily impact what happens to Goedert moving forward.
List of NFL tight ends with receiving and run-blocking grades of 80.0 or higher since 2018 (via PFF):
• Dallas Goedert
That’s the list…and while he was splitting the field with Ertz.
“If I could get the contract extension I would love to be in Philly forever,” Goedert said on June 2. “You know having that second contract is the ultimate goal so the sooner you can get to it, I feel like it’s the better. But either way, whether I get it or not, I’m going to have the same mentality. I’m going to have to go in there, have a good year, we got to make the playoffs, we gotta get more wins that we did last year.”
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What Would Goedert’s Contract Look Like?
The Ertz situation aside, the biggest question mark in terms of Goedert is what kind of money would he command on the open market. George Kittle is the highest-paid tight end in football at $75 million over five years ($15 million per year), with Travis Kelce falling right behind him at $57.2 million over four years ($14.3 million per year).
Goedert, a second-rounder in 2018, could garner as much as $13 million per year (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler) and a five-year, $70 million deal might be a “feasible framework.” It could include $35-40 million in guaranteed money.
Dallas Goedert is quietly having an outstanding training camp. He has the most catches (39), targets (46) and touchdowns (6) of any player on the roster #Eagles
That kind of deal would vault Goedert over Ertz ($8.5 million) for average annual salary and make him the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Fowler wrote the following:
The Eagles could argue Goedert has never had a 60-catch season and has missed six games the past two years. But an ESPN+ poll of league evaluators ranked Goedert as the NFL’s sixth-best tight end despite sharing the field with Ertz.
Aftermath: The Eagles have a cap cushion of $19.7 million thanks to a slew of restructures, so extending Goedert shouldn’t hamper their roster management. There’s no other player they need to re-sign as of now.
Jalen Hurts warming up with tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert before joint practice with Jets
Undrafted Tackle Impresses in Joint Practice
The Eagles are going to have tough decisions to make along the offensive line during final cuts. Do they keep Dillard for depth despite a disappointing camp? Or try and trade him for a sixth-rounder? The latter would force Le’Raven Clark or Matt Pryor to serve as the primary backup at left tackle.
Wait, there could be a better in-house option. The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane reported that Kayode Awosika “continued to impress” on Wednesday during joint practices with the New York Jets. The rookie out of Buffalo started seven games last season before foregoing his remaining eligibility for the NFL draft. He received the second-most guaranteed money (behind Jack Stoll) out of Philly’s undrafted free agents.
Buffalo LT Kayode Awosika
This is a white towel block… DE straight surrendering
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Eagles Future Free Agent Valued at $70 Million: Report