Joe Burrow played at a fantastic level in the 2024 NFL season, yet the Cincinnati Bengals failed to at least make the playoffs. Still, the front office is running things back with head coach Zac Taylor to continue chasing a highly elusive Super Bowl win.
That goal is what makes the Bengals an attractive destination in the NFL, and it explains why many players choose to stay in Cincinnati. Tight end Mike Gesicki, for instance, made that clear to Burrow and Taylor.
“Everybody’s goal in Cincinnati is to compete for a championship, and that’s another reason I wanted to come back,” Gesicki told Bengals.com after agreeing on a contract extension with the team.
At 29, Gesicki had the chance to explore free agency after spending last year with the Bengals on a one-year deal. The veteran tight end, however, found his place with Burrow and Taylor in Cincinnati, where he wants to be part of the franchise’s first-ever Super Bowl win.
Mike Gesicki #88 of the Cincinnati Bengals in action during the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on October 13, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“It’s been, ‘Prove it, prove it, prove it.’ I just wanted to get in the right situation with a coach that believes in me and a quarterback that believes in me and I found that in Cincinnati,” Gesicki added. “With Zac and Joe, why go anywhere else?“
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Gesicki’s first season with Burrow, Taylor’s Bengals
On Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Bengals decided to hand Gesicki a three-year deal worth $25.5 million. This is Gesicki’s first multi-year contract since the rookie deal he signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2018.
Shortly after using a second-round pick to get the tight end, the Fins tied Gesicki to a four-year, $6.61 million contract. The team used the franchise tag before that deal ran out in 2022, but the player ended up leaving a year later.
In 2023, Gesicki signed a one-year deal worth up to $9 million with the New England Patriots. After just one season in Foxborough, in what turned out to be Bill Belichick’s final year on the organization, the tight end landed on the Bengals.
Gesicki proved to be a reliable target for Burrow, recording 65 catches for 665 yards with two touchdowns in the 2024 NFL season. He appeared in all 17 games, playing 46 percent of the Bengals’ offensive snaps.
Joe Burrow #9 of the Cincinnati Bengals talks with head coach Zac Taylor before the NFL preseason game against the Washington Football Team at FedExField on August 20, 2021 in Landover, Maryland.
Bengals have more weapons to re-sign
But while keeping Gesicki is good news for the offense, Cincinnati still has plenty of work to do this offseason. Wide receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase should be getting lucrative, long-term contract extensions this summer to put Burrow in a position to contend.
Shortly after seeing Jalen Hurts get over the hump by winning Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles, Burrow demanded the front office to make a financial commitment with the team’s stars (via “Pardon My Take”): “The Eagles are paying everybody. That seems like the way, whatever they’re doing.”
