Why Patriots Shouldn’t Re-Sign Mike Gesicki Despite Need At Position

The Patriots aren’t slated to have an active tight end on the roster once free agency opens, but that doesn’t mean they should be in any rush to re-sign Mike Gesicki.

New England signed the 28-year-old to a one-year, $4.5 million contract last offseason, and he had the worst season of his career since his rookie year. The tight end caught 29 of his 45 targets for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Granted, Gesicki was the second tight end on the team behind Hunter Henry, but given the Patriots’ shortage of talent on offense, he wasn’t exactly a benefit to whoever was under center.

The Patriots certainly can bring back the veteran on another one-year deal, but what would be the point of that? Head coach Jerod Mayo isn’t exactly sniffing the Super Bowl in his first season succeeding Bill Belichick, but you still want to see progress on offense. That means acquiring as much talent as possible, thus the more young players on the roster, the more shots you have at seeing who can be a cornerstone piece.

It’s more valuable to have Henry, someone who can affect the game as a blocker and a receiver, rather than Gesicki, who hasn’t shown an ability to be an effective blocker in the run game. It’s why Mike McDaniel let the six-year tight end walk in free agency and played Durham Smythe, someone who is nowhere near the talent of Gesicki but better fit what McDaniel wanted to do on offense.

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt institutes principles from Kevin Stefanski’s offense, which draws inspiration from Gary Kubiak. This means New England could utilize two-tight end sets for an effective play-action scheme. Henry is a fine blocker, but he needs to be paired with someone who can help out in the run game.

Gesicki is not that kind of player, and with an intriguing tight end class in the 2024 NFL Draft, New England could take a shot in the later rounds and develop someone at the position. The Patriots also could spend cash on Dalton Schultz or bring in a player who is familiar with Van Pelt like Harrison Bryant.

The Patriots need to fill out their tight end room but Gesicki should not be part of that plan.