Account
Patriots Rumors: Dolphins FA Mike Gesicki Agrees to Contract After Jonnu Smith Trade
March 17, 2023
Mike Gesicki is changing locales.
The veteran tight end is going to sign a one-year deal with the New England Patriots, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.
Adding Geiscki comes after the Patriots gave up on the Jonnu Smith experience by trading him to the Atlanta Falcons.
It's also the second key addition New England has made to its pass-catching group this offseason after agreeing to a three-year, $33 million deal with JuJu Smith-Schuster, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
The Miami Dolphins used the franchise tag on Gesicki in the 2022 offseason, and the two sides couldn't agree to a long-term deal before the deadline in July. That, combined with some issues transitioning to a new role—Gesicki previously operated as more of a big receiver for the Dolphins, but new head coach Mike McDaniels shifted him to more of a traditional, in-line tight end role in his system—opened up the door for his departure this offseason.
Gesicki even remained in the Dolphins' second preseason game with the second-team offense to continue getting reps at the position.
"I need it," he told reporters. "I need all the reps I can get. I mean, I played receiver last year, I've played receiver the past three or four years. I'm playing tight end now and any reps I can get live, out there blocking, putting my hands on another guy and going out there, working hard and blocking; honestly, just working on my footwork and my hand placement, all that kind of stuff. Any reps I can get at that, I can use it."
Some of his issues making the adjustment were evident, namely as a blocker:
If the Patriots plans to utilize Gesicki more in a pure receiving role, however, they are landing a player who accumulated back-to-back seasons with 700 or more receiving yards before the 2022 campaign. In 2021, the 27-year-old set career highs in receptions (73) and receiving yards (780), though he only found the end zone twice.
That went away in 2022, however, as the addition of Tyreek Hill and McDaniels' offensive scheme diminished Gesicki's role in the passing game. The result was a major down year, as he caught just 32 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns.
But there's little doubt he can make an impact in the passing game. In Miami, the questions about his long-term future and issues adjusting to more of a traditional tight end role made him expendable. New England clearly has different plans as it tries to give Mac Jones more weapons in 2023.