The Eagles made Dallas Goedert a very happy man on Friday, handing him a. Four-year extension worth $57M. Here are some quick thoughts on the move.
Here comes the money
There’s no beating around the bush, Dallas Goedert got paid. Goedert the second-highest paid TE in the entire NFL, surpassing the value of Travis Kelce’s most recent deal. Howie is clearly paying a premium for a top-5 pass-catching TE in the NFL and one he believes is young enough to not just play to the value of that deal, but far beyond it.
It’s a large investment for a team to make, and one that’s been a long time coming. The origins of this negotiation stretch way back to the beginning of the offseason, but the whispers were always intertwined with the future of Zach Ertz. Now that the team have moved on from one of the all-time Philadelphia greats, it’s clear that Dallas Goedert is not only viewed as the heir to his throne, but potentially that of the entire NFL.
Goedert is known for his YAC potential. It should come as no surprise that he ranks fourth in his position in that category and leads all TE’s in first-down percentage.
I am surprised that Goedert has been this productive, and that’s no slight on him. Nick Sirianni has historically chosen to favor running backs and wideouts over TE’s, but the rookie Head Coach is sticking to his word of building around the talents of his offense. If Howie Roseman can only see that element growing stronger, then he was absolutely right to go all-in and give Goedert a huge payday, paying a premium for potential.
Finding the cornerstones
We have officially hit phase two of the rebuild, folks…if you can call it that.
We know that the Eagles don’t typically like to go all out and blow things up. Instead, subtle tweaks, sneaky moves and loopholes are the methods chosen by Howie Roseman to hop, skip, and jump past his opponents while still achieving the aim of rebuilding.
Jordan Mailata was made the franchise left tackle this offseason. Dallas Goedert is now your franchise tight end. There’s a franchise defensive tackle on Javon Hargrave, and an EDGE1 candidate in Josh Sweat.
This is the exact same formula used when Carson Wentz was drafted. Ertz joined Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and Malcolm Jenkins in getting a nice sum of money to solidify the team and give Roseman a strong foundation to build on.
The same thing is happening now only the players are notably younger. As for cornerback and linebacker? Developmental talent + a slew of draft picks = plenty of fun. The quarterback? Jalen Hurts has earned every opportunity to win that job. Running back? I don’t want to talk about it.
Roseman’s formula of finding a few key players to build around is tried and tested. It worked once before, pushing the team to a Super Bowl. Can history repeat itself?
Risk vs reward
Dallas Goedert has always been a player on the cusp of a breakout, and there in lies the concern. The breakout has been three years in the making but has always slipped out of his grasp. Whether it’s because of numerous minor injuries, or having his ceiling capped by Zach Ertz, the stars just haven’t aligned yet despite so many reasons to believe that they will.
Goedert has often been a streaky player, but when he’s hot, there are very few who can keep up. The Eagles will be hoping that those streaks are no longer derailed by injuries, or a lack of targets, or the length of time it takes to find them in the first place. If the Eagles fail to strike gold, it’s hard to justify the price tag. If they do, he’s worth every penny.
Avonte up next?
Say what you want about Howie Roseman’s drafting ability, but the 2018 draft class has been pretty damn solid so far. The next man of the group to earn a contract? It should absolutely be nickel corner Avonte Maddox, who is thriving now he’s able to play in his natural position.
The one thing worrying me about a potential deal here is that the Eagles literally just drafted a prime replacement in Zech McPhearson. Maddox has earned the right to secure his long-term future in Philadelphia, but does that align with Roseman’s plans?
Photo Credit: Icon Sportswire
