As Dallas Goedert prepared for Super Bowl LIX, he was also reckoning with the fact it might be his last game with the only NFL team he's known.
In the end, Goedert and the Eagles found a way to stick together, agreeing to a reworked deal for 2025 in early May. Nearly two months after the compromise, Goedert spoke on the matter, explaining the afterglow of the Super Bowl triumph convinced him to stay.
"Yeah, so when I got drafted a year after they won the Super Bowl, I was able to experience the fun parts of a Super Bowl the year after winning the Super Bowl. After we won and the opportunity to run it back again to see the banner drop, it just wouldn't have felt -- it would have felt I was missing on a lot not being there to see all that stuff," Goedert said on ESPN's NFL Live on Tuesday. "I got a lot of love for the city of Philadelphia, the ownership all the way to the cooks in the building. I got a great relationship with all of them. So, I figured for me it was best to work out a deal, so I could stay there and be with the people I find that are important and try to win another one."
Head coach Nick Sirianni wasn't bashful in the immediate moments after his team completed a dominant win over the Kansas City Chiefs, requesting his team run it back while celebrating the victory. Evidently, that was enough to sell Goedert on the idea, even after his offensive coordinator Kellen Moore left for the top job in New Orleans.
Former passing game coordinator Kevin Patullo is replacing Moore, climbing the ladder to the top offensive lieutenant position with the goal of continuing the momentum the Eagles rode to the mountaintop. Philadelphia hasn't had a perfect track record when promoting internally, notably struggling mightily when moving up Brian Johnson to OC in 2023. But Goedert expects great things from Patullo.
"I'm really excited for Kevin," Goedert said. "He's been with us since Sirianni got here. He's waited his turn to get this opportunity and throughout OTAs, I've really loved what he's doing with the offense. Little changes here and there, and I'm really excited for the opportunity to just -- the connection I grew with him the last four years. What he sees in me in different ways that he's going to get me the ball and I'm really excited."
In summary, it's easy to see why Goedert decided to stay in Philadelphia: He's content with winning with people he knows best. We'll see if they can keep it up in 2025.
