Bengals sound even further aligned with Joe Burrow's desires based on insider's latest report
Everyone knows Joe Burrow has been pounding the table for the Cincinnati Bengals to pay Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson, but there was one other name Burrow made sure to bring up in his plethora of media appearances. Tight end Mike Gesicki was described by Burrow as a player Cincinnati needs to retain. "That […]
Everyone knows Joe Burrow has been pounding the table for the Cincinnati Bengals to pay Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase, and Trey Hendrickson, but there was one other name Burrow made sure to bring up in his plethora of media appearances. Tight end Mike Gesicki was described by Burrow as a player Cincinnati needs to retain.
"That guy was so valuable for us all year," Burrow said of Gesicki following the team's final game of the year. "And a guy that, in my opinion, we need to bring back."
The Bengals sound very interested in doing just that.
Bengals to push for Mike Gesicki extension
While the priorities of hammering home new deals for Higgins, Chase, and Hendrickson remain at large, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Cincinnati may try and work something out with Gesicki before he reaches free agency.
Don't be surprised if the Bengals try to extend Mike Gesicki in the coming days. 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. – ESPN's Jeremy Fowler
As Fowler mentions, Gesicki may set this year's market price for the tight end position. The Bengals signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million deal last offseason, including some incentives that the former second-round pick did achieve.
Going up to $8 million per year would be a pretty big jump, one that I'm not sure the Bengals would be willing to make. They watched previous starters C.J. Uzomah and Hayden Hurst leave for the same or a smaller figure, respectively, in past offseasons. Gesicki did have a better year in 2024 than those two ever had with the team, but the question of positional value still comes into play here.
What could give Gesicki an edge is the fact that he's basically a tight end in name only. 8.4% of his snaps in the passing game featured him as an inline player compared to 68.2% from the slot and 23.1% from out wide, according to Pro Football Focus. $8 million a year might sound more palatable under the guise of his role being that of a big slot receiver.
I'm confident the Bengals will make an offer to Gesicki, but it would not surprise me to see him test his luck on the open market. The best possible scenario is both sides coming together on a deal that gives the 29-year old a raise without having him break the bank to stay with Burrow and Co. where he found success. Leaving such an optimal situation for a few more millions per year is something both Uzomah and Hurst soon wound up regretting.
It's up to Gesicki to decide, but the Bengals won't let him leave without giving him a chance to stay first.
