Five Trade Proposals For Eagles TE Dallas Goedert

Philadelphia Eagles TE Dallas Goedert could be on the move. A former second-round pick in 2018 out of South Dakota State, Goedert started his career as a quality complement for Zach Ertz before outplaying him in the following years and taking over as Philly’s top tight end. In seven years with the Eagles, he’s been the definition of consistent, never dipping below a 72.2 PFF grade and, after his rookie year, never had a season with fewer than 42 catches.

Unfortunately, injuries have slowed Goedert down in recent years and he’s missed significant time each of the last three seasons. He signed a four-year, $57 million extension in 2021 and currently sits as the fourth-highest-paid tight end in the league entering the final year of his deal. Trading Goedert would be a way for the Eagles to shed money to allocate elsewhere on the roster. 

Eagles GM Howie Roseman said in a press conference after the team won the Super Bowl that next year’s team would look different. He’s already begun the process of cleaning up the books, cutting some older veterans or letting them walk. Philadelphia wants to get younger and cheaper, and moving on from Goedert is a good way to do that, even if the team doesn’t have a ton of options behind him right now.

Any team trading for Goedert would be inheriting the remaining year on his deal and the remaining $14 million owed to him. The Eagles have already built in void years and an option bonus, so a new team would need less than $4 million in cap space to take him on this year with the remainder hitting the books in 2026. The downside for Philadelphia is a trade would trigger $21 million in dead money, significantly more than his current $11.8 cap hit. That could prompt the team to wait until after June 1 when it can split that dead money between this year and next. A post-June 1 trade would save the Eagles a little over $4 million in cap space with $14 million in dead money next year still to account for. 

Other factors could make a later trade more likely, including the looming NFL draft. This is a deep tight end group. Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland are seen as options in the top 20. Miami’s Elijah Arroyo, Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson and LSU’s Mason Taylor all have potential to go in the top 50, while Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr. and Syracuse’s Oronde Gadsden II have their fans as well.

A lot of teams will look to fill their needs at tight end with a draft pick given just how good this class is, curtailing the market for Goedert. Still, some will inevitably miss out, or see Goedert as a more immediate contributor — a higher-floor option despite the price tag. Goedert’s contract and injury history would have muted price on the market anyway, but the draft will likely lower it further. I can see a team trading Day 3 assets, perhaps a fifth-round pick, for Goedert mid-draft if they miss out on their targets. That’s likely Philly’s best path to getting a draft pick they can use this year, but if they’re willing to accept 2026 draft assets in a trade, some of these suitors might come calling over the summer if they aren’t happy with who they have in the building.

Here’s a look at some potential trade destinations that could make sense: 

Indianapolis Colts

Colts send 2025 fifth-round pick and 2026 sixth-round pick, receive TE Dallas Goedert

The Colts have the most glaring need at tight end in the entire league. Entering the offseason, they had two major needs on paper: tight end and secondary. They spent big to solve the latter of those two problems in free agency. But tight end remains unaddressed.

Out are longtime contributors Mo Alie-Cox and Kylen Granson. Andrew Ogletree is the projected starter right now, a former sixth-round pick who’s flashed in limited opportunities. The speedy Will Mallory can step into the move-tight end role vacated by Granson. The wild card here is Jelani Woods, a 2022 third-round pick who’s missed the last two seasons with knee and hamstring injuries. As a rookie, he flashed serious athletic upside as a field-stretcher and jumbo red-zone threat, but his future is up in the air.

None of those players should prevent adding Goedert to the room, as he would easily be the best tight end the Colts have had in years. There’s also the familiarity factor, as Colts HC Shane Steichen was the play-caller for Goedert for a couple of seasons and runs a similar system to Philadelphia. Goedert would be able to hit the ground running. 

While their need for a tight end is the most obvious, the Colts are also the team most likely to aggressively attack this position in the draft. Indy attempted to trade up into the top 10 of last year’s draft for TE Brock Bowers, so we know they’re not afraid to make a move. This is probably not a trade they would entertain until after they see how the first round shakes out, and they may want to wait until Day 2 of the draft passes as well. If they come away from the first three rounds without a new starter at tight end, the Eagles should pick up the phone — if the Colts haven’t already.

Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs send 2025 fourth-round pick, receive TE Dallas Goedert

When scouring depth charts in preparation for this article, the Chiefs jumped out as a sneaky team to watch to add a tight end. The Kansas City offense suffered last year, with injuries to WRs Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice, as well as RB Isiah Pacheco, taking some real juice out of their attack. We’ve long criticized the Chiefs for not adding a top talent at receiver, but ever since they traded Tyreek Hill to Miami, they’ve been content to let TE Travis Kelce operate as their de facto No. 1 receiver.

The problem is Kelce didn’t live up to that standard last year, and before the playoffs, he struggled the year before as well. His 823 receiving yards in 2024 were the lowest of his career, including his rookie season, and his 984 yards in 2023 were the lowest he had in a season since 2015. He’s still a big part of the offense — he had 97 catches on 133 targets last year — but the 8.5 yards per reception he averaged last season were the lowest of his career by over two yards. More concerningly, it’s almost four whole yards lower than any season of his career outside of 2023.

Kelce’s decline is apparent, and while he wants to keep playing and will no doubt contribute, the days of him carrying the water for the Kansas City receiving corps appear to be over. He’s been vocal about what he wants to do after football, especially when it comes to acting, and we all know who he’s dating. Even if you believe he’s due for a bounce-back season, it would be wise for the Chiefs to prepare for life after Kelce.

To that point, Goedert could solve both problems. It’s not that he would be Kansas City’s starting tight end for a decade, but he can help boost the offense now and ease the transition whenever Kelce retires. The Chiefs seem dedicated to this “receiver by committee” approach, so adding another versatile piece in Goedert would be beneficial. Rice is rehabbing from a nasty knee injury suffered last season and his status for the start of the 2025 campaign is unknown at the moment. Getting more insurance is key. The Chiefs are also one of the sneaky leaders in “13” personnel — formations with three tight ends on the field. Goedert would make those packages more effective. 

In some good news for the Eagles, the Chiefs aren’t likely to heavily prioritize tight end in the draft. It’s a deep position group, so they might take a look at some players on Day 3, but they have other needs (such as offensive tackle, running back, and defensive line) that need much more attention. They also have TE Noah Gray on the roster, someone who’s proven himself a reliable secondary option at the position, but he could still pair with Goedert in the years after Kelce’s retirement. It’s a cleaner fit than it appears at first glance.

Los Angeles Rams

Rams send two 2025 sixth-round picks and a 2026 seventh-round pick, receive TE Dallas Goedert

Fresh off giving the Eagles their toughest game in the playoffs, the Rams are primed for a Super Bowl run of their own. Back is QB Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams joins the receiving core in lieu of Cooper Kupp, and LT Alaric Jackson is back in the fold. The defense could use some reinforcements, but Los Angeles enters the 2025 season as one of the favorites in the NFC.

The main reason is superb drafting by this front office. After winning the Super Bowl following the 2021 season, the Rams have successfully reset the roster in short order, stockpiling boatloads of Day 3 draft picks and supplementing them with a few studs drafted in the first three rounds. The result is one of the best young rosters in the league, ready to compete even after Stafford retires.

In the meantime, Los Angeles is prepping to give it at least one last go with Stafford at the helm. Tight end is a bit of a weak spot for this team, with just Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson on the roster. Both are solid players, but Higbee has been banged up in recent years, and there’s room to upgrade here. They are another team, like the Colts, that might prefer to address this in the draft. But at No. 26, Warren and Loveland are likely out of reach, and they have higher priorities for that pick anyway (offensive line and secondary, most notably).

A young tight end acquired on Day 2, like Arroyo or Ferguson, would be a welcome addition to this offense. But if they can’t swing that, they might turn their attention to Goedert. At this point, the roster is in a healthy enough place that they can afford to send a few Day 3 picks to Philadelphia to boost their passing game in what could be Stafford’s final year in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Chargers

Chargers send 2025 fifth- and sixth-round picks, receive TE Dallas Goedert

Sometimes analysis is simple. The Chargers need a tight end, and both Warren and Loveland are likely to be off the board by the time Los Angeles picks at No. 22. That limits their ability to get a game-changer at the position, especially when they have other areas they need to address. Their need at wide receiver sticks out like a sore thumb, and they also need additions at cornerback and across the defensive line.

Currently, Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin top the Los Angeles depth chart at tight end. Both are solid players, but neither makes you feel confident you have a stud, either. Goedert would be relatively cheap to acquire and instantly upgrade the position. Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh plays a distinctive brand of tough, hard-nosed football. He wants to run the ball, to be the more physical team, and he wants guys who can gut it out in the trenches and win football games. Goedert checks all those boxes and would help give QB Justin Herbert some reliable targets to throw to.

Seattle Seahawks

Seahawks send 2025 fifth- and seventh-round picks, receive TE Dallas Goedert

Seattle is in the midst of an overhaul of their own, tearing down its offense and shipping in some new pieces. Out are QB Geno Smith and fan-favorite WRs D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett; in is QB Sam Darnold to helm the new offensive attack and Kupp to bolster the receiver room. Major roster holes still exist at receiver and interior offensive line, but tight end could use some love too.

Noah Fant is a good player, and the Seahawks used a fourth-rounder on AJ Barner just last year. But honestly, who knows what Seattle will do anymore? They certainly haven’t gotten a ton out of the position in recent years — as much as Fant offers, he’s never been a high-volume receiving threat. Goedert could add more dynamism to the offense, which would help Darnold out a lot.