Former Bengals practice squad player became a key reason why tight end Mike Gesicki signed with Cincinnati
From the very beginning of the offseason, tight end Mike Gesicki knew he wanted to end up with the Cincinnati Bengals.“Since the day the season ended, I’ve been talking about Cincinnati," Gesicki told reporters after he inked a one-year, $2.5 million deal to wear orange and black on Sundays. "Just because I knew the opportunity […]
From the very beginning of the offseason, tight end Mike Gesicki knew he wanted to end up with the Cincinnati Bengals.
“Since the day the season ended, I’ve been talking about Cincinnati," Gesicki told reporters after he inked a one-year, $2.5 million deal to wear orange and black on Sundays. "Just because I knew the opportunity it presents.”
The opportunity to catch touchdown passes from quarterback Joe Burrow is an alluring one, but Gesicki had his desire validated thanks to the testimony of two former teammates, one of them now being his teammate once more.
Positive Bengals testimony reached Mike Gesicki
On top of Gesicki's belief that the Bengals were the right fit for his skillset, a former practice squad player of the team and a current veteran leader on the roster further solidified his confidence to chose the Queen City as his next football destination.
"One of my best friends was here," Gesick explained. "Nick Bowers, he was a tight end on the practice squad here for a little bit and he loved it so much. And then I played with Ted Karras. He was in Miami with me and I had talked to him about it."
Everyone in Cincinnati knows who Karras is, the renowned center whose work creating The Cincy Hat has become inspiring enough for Walter Payton Man of the Year traction. Karras spent a year with Gesicki down in South Florida in 2020. Bowers and Gesicki were teammates at Penn State for three years at the same position.
While Gesicki spent his fifth and final year with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, Bowers was earning practice squad paychecks every week from the Bengals. He lasted just under a full year with the team and never played a down outside the preseason.
And his words still carried weight to his long-time friend.
"They could have said that it was, you know, the worst place in the world, but when you got No. 9 at quarterback I was like, that is a place I want to go. So that was something I was really looking forward to."
Bowers' words of praise helped the Bengals lock in their feature tight end for the 2024 season. Fans may not have remembered his brief time on the practice squad, but if Gesicki puts together a season to remember, they'll remember Bowers' name alongside with him.
Bengals continue their revolving door operation at tight end by agreeing to terms with Mike Gesicki
Gesicki is coming to Cincinnati on a one-year deal.
