Dolphins Willing To Entertain Mike Gesicki Trade Offers

Expectations were high for the Dolphins’ passing attack this season, in no small part due to the arrivals of wideout Tyreek Hill and head coach Mike McDaniel. A familiar face in the team’s offense has taken a back seat, however, leading to his name being included in trade talk.

Tight end Mike Gesicki has gone from one of the unit’s focal points to a rotational member this season. The 27-year-old has made just 15 catches through six weeks in 2022, totaling 170 yards and three touchdowns. His proficiency as a receiver – and, more importantly, his lack thereof as a blocker – led to expectations that he could see a reduced workload within McDaniel’s system.

In late August, it was reported that Miami was open to the possibility of trading Gesicki, a further reflection of his presumed fall down the pecking order behind Hill and 2021 first-rounder Jaylen Waddle. Not much appears to have changed on that front; ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Dolphins remain willing to field trade offers on Gesicki. He does add, on the other hand, that Miami is not actively shopping the Penn State alum at this time.

Complicating matters is the fact that Gesicki is playing on the franchise tag this season, valued in his case at $10.9MM. That figure didn’t stop a pair of teams from calling about his availability before the regular season began, but would represent a difficult expense for an acquiring to justify given his underwhelming production so far. As Fowler points out, many around the league remain perplexed by Gesicki’s lack of usage given the team’s one-year investment in him.

Long-term contract talks never seemed to be in the picture this offseason, leaving Gesicki’s 2023 destination a question mark to begin with. Whether he can up his receiving numbers – especially with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa expected to be back for Week 7 – will be worth watching in the short term, given the effect it could have on his trade value.