The Mike Gesicki experiment didn’t quite work out with the New England Patriots. Now, Bill Belichick’s former signing is on to Cincinnati.
Coming off his least-productive season since he was a rookie, Gesicki signed with the Bengals this offseason in hopes of rekindling the peak production he saw during his time with the Miami Dolphins.
Talking to the Bengals website, the 28-year-old tight end said his immediate goal is to get up to speed and earn trust with Cincinnati’s offense.
“New team, new staff, new quarterback. Everything is new for me,” Gesicki says. “So I have to go out there and earn the trust.”
Much of that trust will center around building a relationship with Bengals franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. Gesicki told the Bengals that he has “never been in the huddle with that kind of talent.”
However, the veteran tight end said he doesn’t want to lean on his new quarterback too much.
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“I’m not going to bother him too much. But he’s been great. He’s been somebody I’ve been able to reach out to and have conversations,” Gesicki said to the Bengals website.
Gesicki played in all 17 games for the Patriots last season, including a career-high 10 starts. However, his production numbers dropped. He was targeted 45 times, catching 29 passes for 244 yards, his lowest totals since his rookie season.
That’s a far cry from Gesicki’s peak from his team in Miami, like his 2021 campaign where he caught a career-high 73 passes for 780 yards.
Gesicki will be looking for a career reboot in Cincinnati and projects to have a great shot as he moves from the Mac Jones/Bailey Zappe quarterback boondoggle in New England to one of the most stable quarterback situations in the league.
The Patriots will get a chance to see how Gesicki looks with his new team up close. New England is set to visit Cincinnati to play the Bengals during the 2024 regular season.
