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After breakout seasons in 2020 and 2021, Mike Gesicki took a step back in 2022, as he only recorded 362 yards receiving (his lowest total since his rookie year) on just 32 catches. Now, with that tough season front and center, Gesicki enters free agency for the first time in his career.
2023 in review
As mentioned above, Gesicki struggled immensely last season. That said, part of that decline in production can be attributed to the Dolphins addition of Tyreek Hill combined with their near-constant shuffling at the quarterback position.
Do the Dolphins want to keep him?
Probably not. Last year, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said that he wanted Gesicki to be more an in-line tight end, a vast difference from the type of wide receiver-tight end hybrid role that Gesicki had played previously for the Dolphins. In December, Gesicki posted an ominous tweet where he thanked the Dolphins fan base, which seemed to all but confirm he’ll be playing somewhere else this fall.
I didn’t even know I was making memories, I was just having fun. No telling what the future holds, just control what you can control. Everyone that knows me knows I would stay in South Florida forever, time will tell. No matter what and no matter where, the show goes on. . . pic.twitter.com/uKWypwoMMu
— Mike Gesicki (@mikegesicki) January 18, 2023
Rumored interest
At the end of February, ESPN’s Matt Bowen listed the Carolina Panthers as the best team fit for Gesicki, citing his ability to stress defenses as a three level target. While no other team has been publicly linked to Gesicki, he should receive plenty of interest from receiver-needy teams.