Bengals to sign former Patriots, Dolphins TE Gesicki to 1-year deal

Cincinnati —An more offensive free agent has been added by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Mike Gesicki, a former tight end for the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, has signed with the Bengals to a one-year contract worth up to $3.25 million, according to a report published on Tuesday by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Bengals formally announced Gesicki’s contract with the team on Thursday.

The Bengals signed tight end Gesicki to a three-year contract on Monday, making him the second tight end to sign a contract this week.

The Patriots offense underperformed in 2023, with the second-worst points scored per game (13.9) and the third-worst total yards per game (276.2) in the NFL. Gesicki was selected by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Only eclipsed by his rookie year, Gesicki’s output in targets (45), catches (29), and receiving yards (244) last season nearly reached career lows, and he also recorded the lowest yards per reception (8.4) of his career. Also, he only had two touchdown receptions.

Gesicki was a dependable pass receiver with the Dolphins before moving to New England. He caught 231 passes for 2,617 yards and 18 touchdown passes during his tenure in South Beach.

The Penn State product is ranked 13th in catches (260), touchdowns (20), and receiving yards (2,861) among all tight ends since entering the league. Since the 2018 season, his 415 targets rank as the tenth highest for the position.

The addition of Gesicki strengthens a defensive position that the Bengals weren’t especially strong at. Through the week’s first seven seasons, Cincinnati’s tight ends combined for just 20 catches for 132 yards and no touchdowns, but they developed into one of the league’s most dependable groups.

Despite averaging the second-fewest yards per reception (8.0), Sample, Irv Smith Jr., and Tanner Hudson together had the second-highest catch rate among tight end combinations from weeks eight through eighteen.