The Cincinnati Bengals continued their project of bringing in free-agent tight ends, letting them play with Joe Burrow, and then getting paid in free agency. While that last step hasn't happened for Mike Gesicki, the tight end admitted that money is on his mind for the upcoming offseason.
Mike Gesicki might have played himself out of the Bengals' price range
When speaking to the media following the end of the Bengals' season, Gesicki said that he didn't have a chance to get paid the way he wanted because he was franchise tagged in 2022 and then New England didn't use him the way he wanted. That limited his market for last year and the Bengals were able to get him for dirt cheap (one year for $2.5 million).
A few minutes with Mike Gesicki.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) January 6, 2025
Now a free agent, he broke out this year and is definitely looking to make up for lost money but no shortage of understanding the value of playing with Joe Burrow. pic.twitter.com/5bptiKH0lw
Cincinnati benefitted from having Gesicki on the roster, as the former Penn State product racked up 665 yards and two touchdowns during his inaugural year in the Queen City. This was yet another example of what I alluded to in the first paragraph where Burrow helps his tight ends get paid after they ball out with him as their quarterback.
Gesicki recognized that having Burrow throwing to him was a blessing and even said that he'd love to be back in Cincinnati. The problem, however, is that the Bengals have enough problems to sort out this offseason and Gesicki might not be high enough on the list.
This isn't a situation that the Bengals are strangers to. Since Burrow became the quarterback in 2020, the Bengals have seen C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst go on to look like beasts only to sign a new deal with another team and underwhelm. It truly is the Joe Burrow effect.
That being said, Gesicki has shown potential with other teams before, as the 2024 season wasn't even the best of his career. He had 780 yards in 2021 and the year before had over 700 yards and six touchdowns with the Dolphins.
No one would blame Gesicki for signing a huge contract with another team, especially if the Bengals don't view him as a priority. They need to figure out their defensive situation (even more so now that Lou Anarumo won't be back) and what they want to do with Tee Higgins. Those are going to be the biggest questions for the Bengals front office to answer.