Mike Gesicki Contract Terms
Mike Gesicki is re-signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Gesicki will get $25.5 million over three years, with $12 million coming in the first year.
Fantasy Football Impact
Gesicki's connection with Pro Bowl quarterback Joe Burrow helped him record 65 receptions, more than his previous two seasons combined, making him a viable element in the Bengals' powerhouse passing offense.
Those 65 catches and 665 yards trailed only his 2021 season with the Miami Dolphins (73 receptions, 780 yards). Gesicki also had two touchdowns and had 38 catches that were first downs.
He has 231 receptions for 3,526 yards and 22 touchdowns in his career.
Gesicki served as Cincinnati's primary pass-catching tight end, with Drew Sample considered the team's run-blocking tight end. According to The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr., Gesicki aligned inline for only 27 designed rushes over 503 total snaps last season.
But for fantasy investors, that's a feature, not a bug.
Burrow has not had the same player in that role since 2021, which was C.J. Uzomah's final year with the Bengals. Conversely, 2025 will mark the first time in Gesicki's eight seasons that he'll have the same offensive coordinator for two straight seasons.
As Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson noted, the 6-6, 252-pound Gesicki offered Burrow inviting mismatches and deceptive yards after catch. On Gesicki's 18 third-down catches, according to The Football Database, he had 75 yards after the catch for more third-down YAC than Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Zay Flowers.
Hobson added that the 29-year-old Gesicki's value was on full display in last season's Week 18 game against the Broncos, which amounted to an elimination game for the Bengals. With Denver trying to take away All-Pro wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, Gesicki tied his career-high with ten catches and helped shake loose wide receiver Tee Higgins for a career-high three touchdowns.
Despite being third on the Bengals in catches and targets (83), consistent, week-to-week production wasn't Gesicki's hallmark.
He finished the season as TE13, but his 8.4 points per game ranked 19th at the position.
While that precludes him from being a front-line fantasy prospect, Gesicki, going as TE27 in early best-ball drafts on Underdog, does offer value for those drafting multiple tight ends. But as things stand now, he's a far better best-ball prospect than a re-draft or Dynasty play.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Chase and Higgins are the focal points of the passing attack in Cincinnati. As long as they're both on the field, Burrow is under center, and Zac Taylor is calling the plays, fantasy managers should expect continued high-end numbers from all three players.
The Bengals had the second-ranked passing offense in the NFL in 2024. Their 272.9 passing yards per game in 2024 were second only to the Detroit Lions.
Dehner notes that Gesicki's chemistry with Burrow allowed him to shine when injuries sidelined Higgins. Gesicki's biggest games last season came when Higgins was out, and with the Bengals intending to retain Higgins, Dehner believes Gesicki can make up for the one issue with the star WR: His periodic soft-tissue injuries.
Higgins has missed five games each of the last two years.
So, in terms of keeping the offense on schedule, having a fallback option like Gesicki is great for Burrow and other skill players of interest here, including Chase Brown.
Stock Watch
Risers
Fallers
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Overview
With free agency opening Monday, the Bengals have accomplished one of their offseason priorities by re-signing Mike Gesicki on a three-year deal after he had the most catches (65) by a Cincinnati tight end in 43 years. While the Bengals work on new deals for star wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, their emerging tight end stays with Joe Burrow, adding continuity the team hasn't seen at the position in recent years.
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