Arguably the most pleasant surprise for the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2024 campaign was tight end Mike Gesicki, who was inked to a dirt-cheap one-year, $2.5 million contract in free agency.
That signing paid off big time for Cincinnati, as Gesicki’s 665 receiving yards were the most he has finished with since his career-best campaign in 2021. It was a massive bounce-back year for the veteran tight end, who tallied over 400 yards more than the season prior and finished third in receiving yards on the team.
Now, the Bengals are faced with a tough decision, as Gesicki is set to hit free agency and the team already has a trio of stars to extend, a list that includes wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Despite having a ton of work to do with those three players, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler thinks the team could extend Gesicki “in the coming days.”
“Don’t be surprised if the Bengals try to extend Mike Gesicki in the coming days,” Fowler wrote. “Cincinnati is trying to secure a trio of its stars — Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson — but Gesicki is another player they were very happy with last season and would like to pay. Teams are projecting the tight end market could tap out at around $8 million per year. If Gesicki can put up a decent clip in the next seven days, that helps Juwan Johnson, Tyler Conklin and others.”
MORE: Ja’Marr Chase contract update is not positive
This is just the latest positive update we’ve seen on Gesicki’s hopes of staying with the Bengals.
During the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis this past week, both Zac Taylor and Duke Tobin heaped praise on Gesicki, and Taylor noted that he wants Gesicki back, while Tobin added that he’s a “priority guy for us.”
“Mike had a tremendous role for us last year,” Taylor said. “I think especially as the season evolved and we got to know him better. We were able to use him in a way that best utilized his skills. He and Joe have a great relationship, very productive for us, a really good matchup for us, especially as the year went on. So, really high in Mike Gesicki, and again, that’s something we’re working through to make sure he’s still in the fold.”
“We’ve been pretty good at bringing tight ends in and having them have successful seasons,” Tobin added. “Mike was fantastic for us. I think Mike’s a priority guy for us. I think he fits with us. I think he found out he fits with us. Tight ends tend to fit with us.”
While the Bengals should absolutely be interested in keeping Gesicki around, the price will ultimately decide his fate. While important to the team, he falls fourth in order of importance behind Chase, Hendrickson and Higgins, so if extending him hurts the Bengals’ chances at keeping the other three, Cincinnati should avoid.
That said, Spotrac projects Gesicki will receive a one-year, $6.7 million deal in free agency. We think he’ll get a multi-year extension from Cincinnati if anything, but at that price, re-signing Gesicki wouldn’t preclude the Bengals from keeping the three aforementioned stars.
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