Dallas Goedert poised for a big year amid Zach Ertz contract drama

Dallas Goedert’s success will complicate the Zach Ertz situation.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Zach Ertz reportedly hit a standstill this week in terms of a contract extension. The tight end saw Travis Kelce, Austin Hooper, and George Kittle all raise the market this offseason. Then the Eagles responded with a lowball offer and his future is in doubt.

The Eagles also have some leverage in the form of Dallas Goedert. The tight end is entering his third NFL season in 2020 and saw his targets go up from 44 in 2018 to 87 in 2019. Goedert had five touchdowns last season compared to Ertz’s six and is set to earn just under $1 million in 2020.

So will Goedert’s rise doom Ertz’s chances of staying with the Eagles?

Dallas Goedert is on the right track

The Eagles will have to pay either Ertz or Goedert as both are currently set to hit free agency following the 2021 season. The latter is obviously the cheaper option and could be in line for a similar deal to what Ertz signed in 2016. That came out to five years and $42.5 million. That is well below the five years and $75 million Kittle signed for last month.

Goedert finished last season with 607 receiving yards and began to emerge as a reliable option for Carson Wentz in the passing game. The receiving corps was decimated and the tight ends became the top options.

The uptick in targets shows the Eagles already had Goedert in the plans last season. A contract dispute with Ertz at a time when Goedert is in the plans even more would complicate Ertz’s value to the team if he is demanding top money.

Players like Kelce and Kittle can point to consistent 1,000-yard seasons. Ertz has had one in his seven-year career. He is now battling with a younger, cheaper option at his own position. Goedert reaching the 1,000-yard mark would essentially destroy Ertz’s bargaining power.

Ertz is still under contract through 2021. However, a younger version of himself emerging on his own team complicates an already messy situation.