Did Bengals tight end take a shot at Tua Tagovailoa while praising Joe Burrow?

Mike Gesicki hasn't been a member of the Cincinnati Bengals for too long, but he's already building a relationship with Joe Burrow -- and looking to the star quarterback for leadership.

"I'm not going to bother him too much. But he's been great," Gesicki said of Burrow. "He's been somebody I've been able to reach out to and have conversations. He's been a leader in the locker room who a lot of guys look to. I'm definitely one of those guys looking to him. I've heard great things about him as a teammate. He's easy to talk to. Good sense of humor."

Gesicki is understandably excited to catch passes from Burrow, and he previously pointed the QB's presence on the roster as a major factor in his decision to sign with Cincinnati.

"They could have said that [Cincinnati] was you know, the worst place in the world, but when you've got No. 9 at quarterback, I was like, 'That is where I want to go,'" Gesicki said. "So, that was something I was really looking forward to."

Did Bengals tight end take a shot at Tua Tagovailoa while praising Joe Burrow?

After spending last season with the New England Patriots and the previous several seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Gesicki is eager for the opportunity to prove himself again in a new locker room.

It also sounded like he took a subtle shot at Tua Tagovailoa while praising Burrow, saying he's "never been in the huddle with that kind of talent," which is notable. Perhaps he didn't mean it that way, but it's hard to not connect those two dots -- of course, he might have just been laying it on thick for his new quarterback.

"New team, new staff, new quarterback. Everything is new for me," Gesicki said. "So I have to go out there and earn the trust. . . . It's more proving what I'm capable of doing and earning more and more opportunities once the football starts. It's only April. A long way to go."

Gesicki could be poised for a major season as part of Cincinnati's offensive attack. He should benefit from playing alongside Ja'marr Chase and Tee Higgins (if he isn't traded). Those guys draw a lot of attention, and that could open things up for Gesicki. Don't be surprised to see him put up some big numbers in 2024.