Gesicki had an up-and-down career before he landed in Cincinnati, but he’s finally getting paid.
Mike Gesicki was at one point looked at as one of the NFL’s best receiving tight ends.
However, following multiple down years, he signed a low money one year deal with Cincinnati for $2.5 million.
After a bounce-back year with Joe Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals rewarded Gesicki with a big-money contract extension for three years and $25.5 million.
It just so happens to exactly match the amount of money that Gesicki made in the prior seven years of his career before he got his big deal.
Back in 2018, Gesicki was drafted in the second round to Miami as a receiving tight end, and he had a rookie year to forget with poor blocking and middling receiving production. By the end of his four-year rookie contract, however, he had two back-to-back seasons with 700+ receiving yards, and when Miami couldn’t reach a long-term, they had no choice but to use the franchise tag, giving him a big one-year payout of nearly 11 million and over 17 million in career earnings.
Unfortunately for Gesicki, his style of play did not mesh well with new head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense. This resulted in his worst production since his rookie season.
Following that, Gesicki attempted to rehab his value on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million with the New England Patriots. However, with near-worst in-the-league quarterback play from Bailey Zappe and Mac Jones, Gesickis’s value only fell further. After this, he made the right decision and signed a deal to play with Joe Burrow to rehab his value.
Now, Gesicki gets the deal he likely deserved all along and will continue playing with Burrow. There is no reason he can’t play up to it. The fact that it matches exactly his previous earnings is a fun fact and a nice reminder that sometimes players can bounce back when given the opportunity and situation to succeed.
