The Miami Dolphins are at the beginning of their offseason schedule, as they are in the process of looking for their next head coach. After that decision is made, the team will start building the team the way general manager Chris Grier and their new head coach want it to be built.
One of the decisions the team will have to make is whether or not to pay tight end Mike Gesicki who is set to be a free agent at the stsrt of the league year. In 2021, Gesicki set career highs in yards (780) and receptions (73) while bringing in two touchdowns as well. He was essentially Tua Tagovailoa’s second-favorite target just behind rookie wide receiver Jaylen Waddle who was teammates with the quarterback in college.
This week, Pro Football Focus listed the 26-year-old tight end as the one free agent the Dolphins could not lose this offseason. Here’s what PFF’s Brad Spielberger had to say about Gesicki:
“Gesicki, in reality, is a big slot receiver who is able to line up all over and run a route tree not seen from the typical tight end. It’s hard to find a playmaking receiver at the tight end position, and teams should probably hold on if they find one. Gesicki has back-to-back seasons with 70.0+ receiving grades, and his 32 contested catches over the span are tied for first among tight ends. He pairs well with breakout rookie wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.”
The fact Gesicki isn’t the best all-around tight end may keep him from getting top of the market money, but there’s a good chance he gets more than New England paid Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith annually last season ($12.5 million per year).
If that’s the asking price of keeping Tagovailoa comfortable next year with a new offense, that may be worth it. However, we won’t really know how Gesicki or Tagovailoa fit until we know who the coach and offensive coordinator are.
