Incentives Abound For New England Patriots Target Mike Gesicki In 2023

The one-year contract that brought Mike Gesicki to the New England Patriots during NFL free agency is worth a maximum value of $9 million.

But the former Miami Dolphins tight end has his work cut out to get there on the other side of the AFC East.

Gesicki’s upcoming base salary stands fully guaranteed at $1.15 million. He received a $2.4 million signing bonus to go with a $100,000 workout bonus and up to $850,000 in cumulative roster bonuses if active for all 17 games.

His cap hit checks in at a reasonable $4.5 million. An additional $4.5 million can be earned in the form of incentives tied to playing time, catches and yards, however.

As A to Z Sports’ Doug Kyed and ESPN’s Mike Reiss detailed last week, Gesicki would collect $350,000 for logging 46%, $400,000 for both 53% and 60%, $450,000 for 70% as well as $500,000 for 80% of the offensive downs next regular season.

He would also collect $300,000 each for reaching 40, 50, 60 and 70 receptions. Those same triggers hold true for reaching 450, 550, 650 and 750 receiving yards, too.

Doubling the base of the pact isn’t far outside the realm of possibility. There’s a chance for the numbers on the books to at least become close on the field.

Since entering the NFL in the second round of the 2018 draft, Gesicki has caught 231 passes for 2,617 yards along with 18 touchdowns. The Penn State product, who missed the Nittany Lions tenure of new-yet-familiar Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien by one year, has missed only one game while playing in 81.

And by year while in Miami Gardens, he eclipsed 43%, 64%, 58%, 71% and 45% of the offensive downs, respectively.

Nine appearances against New England were accrued over that span.

“Tough guy to game-plan for, hard to cover,” Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told reporters in late March at the annual league meeting in Arizona. “Yeah, I look forward to working with Mike, so we’ll see. He’s kind of a unique player. Hopefully we’ll be able to use him productively.”

Gesicki’s most productive campaign to date arrived in 2021 when he set career highs with 112 targets, 72 receptions and 780 yards. His usage took a step back under first-year Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel in 2022. But while making only one start on the $10.931 million franchise tag, he scored five touchdowns. And all from where his current team ranked last leaguewide in terms of efficiency: the red zone.

At 6-foot-6, 245 pounds with a three-cone time of 6.76 seconds and a vertical leap of 41.5 inches, Gesicki carries the skillset of an inside receiver more so than an inline blocker. Pro Football Focus has charted him for 1,363 snaps in the slot over the course of his NFL career. He’s come down with 47 contested catches throughout his alignments as a mismatch of length above the rim and quickness in short areas.

For the Patriots, there’s little risk in seeing whether that will carry over. For Gesicki, who turns 28 next fall, there’s plenty of reward to prove it will.

Following the cap-minded trade of Jonnu Smith to the Atlanta Falcons, Gesicki joins the contract year of veteran Hunter Henry atop the depth chart in Foxborough. Fellow tight ends Matt Sokol and Scotty Washington round out the room with the 2023 draft closing in.