Essendon coach James Hird admits out-of-contract St Kilda star Brendon Goddard would be a welcome addition to the Bombers midfield, but said the "internal" conversations had not progressed beyond that.

"Obviously Brendon is a fantastic player and would be a great addition to our club, or any club, but we haven't really taken it any further than that," Hird said

"It's been an internal discussion and I think he's got a decision to make on free agency, which comes up in three weeks time."

Hird said the Bombers would be hard pressed to offer a high draft pick for any trade options this year, having already committed to picking star father-son prospect Joe Daniher at NAB AFL Draft.

"All our list management is a weekly process now with our players coming up to trade week and the draft, and we'll certainly have a chat about where he (Josh Caddy) might possibly fit into our club. 

"But it's been reported…that Gold Coast want a very good pick for him or something that's compensatory for him, and we don't have a pick until the mid-30s because of Joe Daniher.

"So that might be a little bit difficult for us."