NEW ORLEANS — Dallas Goedert doesn’t have a girlfriend with a bunch of Grammy Awards, and the Philadelphia Eagles tight end hasn’t attracted any national endorsements. At least not yet.
The Kansas City Chiefs are the ones with the glamorous tight end in Super Bowl LIX, Travis Kelce, who is not only Taylor Swift’s boyfriend but is one of the most productive players at his position in league history.
However, when it comes to the potential impact on the title game on Sunday, Goedert is more competitive with Kelce than he is in those other categories.
Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni noted Goedert’s value after the tight end, who missed seven games this season because of multiple injuries, caught seven passes for 85 yards in a 55-23 thrashing of the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 26.
When Goedert approached his station on the Superdome turf for the start of Media Day on Monday night, the roar from a throng of Eagles fans standing behind barricades just a few feet away suggested maybe Kelce, or perhaps even Swift, were in the building.
However, it was just Goedert, who ate up the attention the same way Kelce and Swift seem to eat up their attention from the paparazzi. The Eagles tight end pumped his fist and yelled “Go Birds, E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!” to the appreciative crowd.
One coy reporter asked Goedert to name his favorite Taylor Swift song, and “the other tight end” tried really hard to come up with a title. He finally named a song, then asked if it was in fact a Swift song.
He was told it wasn’t, but continued unfazed, saying, “She’s an incredible artist. She’s just not on my playlist.”
Well played.
Goedert went on to say that his most recent play list featured “a lot of Kendrick Lamar,” who will be performing at halftime in the Super Bowl one week after winning five Grammys. He noted that, of course, he will be preoccupied and unable to listen to Lamar.
As far as performances in the Superdome go, even Lamar will be challenged to top the one Goedert had there in Week 3 on Sept. 22. He caught 10 passes for 170 yards, including a 61-yarder on third-and-16 in the final two minutes. The big play set up a 4-yard Saquon Barkley touchdown run that gave the Eagles a 15-12 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
“The last time in New Orleans was a productive day,” Goedert said. “I’m going to try and enjoy the experience again.
“I had a beignet on that trip. I guess I’ll have to try and have another on Saturday.”
If Goedert can just keep doing what he’s been doing, that should make Sirianni and the Eagles happy. Goedert returned for the regular-season finale against the Giants following a four-game absence caused by a knee injury and caught four passes for 55 yards. In the three playoff games last month, he had 15 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown.
All that football stuff is nice, but when the television cameras inevitably scan the suites in the Superdome on Sunday looking for Swift, keep in mind that the Eagles tight end is a talented unicyclist who has participated in parades in his hometown of Britton, S.D.
Additionally Goedert’s girlfriend, Aria Meyer, has established an enthusiastic following on Instagram.
It’s not the Grammys, but it’s something.
–Les East, Field Level Media
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