Miami Dolphins place franchise tag on tight end Mike Gesicki
The Dolphins placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Mike Gesicki, the team announced Tuesday, keeping the 26-year-old tight end in Miami a week before free agency is set to start.
The one-year tag will pay Gesicki $10.9 million in 2022 if the two sides cannot come to an agreement on a long-term deal by July 15. The non-exclusive tag allows Gesicki to negotiate with other teams at the start of free agency at 4 p.m. March 16 but inquiring teams would have to give the Dolphins two first-round picks to sign him, which is unlikely.
Gesicki was the Dolphins’ second-leading receiver in 2021, setting career-highs for receptions (73) and receiving yards (780). He likely would have made more money than the franchise tag if given the opportunity to field offers as an unrestricted free agent. Last November, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Dallas Goedert, selected in the same draft as Gesicki, signed a four-year extension worth $57 million. And last offseason, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry signed deals with the New England Patriots each with an annual average value of $12.5 million.
The NFL set the 2022 salary cap at $208.2 million, a $25.7 million increase from last year’s cap.
Gesicki is the first Dolphin since Jarvis Landry in 2018 to receive the franchise tag. Landry was later traded to the Cleveland Browns for a fourth- and seven-round pick.
The Dolphins’ decision to place the tag on Gesicki increases the likelihood defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah will officially become a free agent at the start of the new league year. Ogbah’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told WSVN-7 on Sunday that the Dolphins never brought up using the franchise tag as they discussed a long-term deal.
Selected No. 42 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Gesicki has emerged as one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the NFL. Since entering the league, Gesicki ranks sixth among tight ends in receptions (199) and receiving yards (2,255). He also ranks third in Dolphins history among tight ends in catches and yards.
Gesicki, however, has been dogged by criticisms of his efforts as a blocker. In 2021, Gesicki was asked to pass block on just 11 of his 829 snaps; he also ranked 34th among tight ends with 234 pass-blocking snaps. According to Next Gen Stats, Gesicki lined up out wide or in the slot on 79 percent of his snaps. Only 18 percent of his snaps came from a tight alignment.
For comparison, fellow Dolphins tight end Durham Smythe, Gesicki’s draftmate and also a pending free agent, had 90 pass-blocking snaps and 322 run-blocking snaps in 2021. Smythe lined up out wide or in the slot on 20 percent of his snaps and had a tight alignment on 74 percent of his snaps.
There have been questions about Gesicki’s fit in new coach Mike McDaniel’s offense, which prioritizes tight end blocking, but both McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier tempered concerns and expressed confidence there would be a role for Gesicki.
“Whether you call it an optimist or the way I’ve always looked at players, I identify what they can do and less of what they can’t,” McDaniel told the Herald in an exclusive interview. “There are some things about Mike’s game that are very beneficial for an offense. There is a lot of stuff in the pass game that he’s exceptional at. So, I get why people talk that way. I do think he’s a competitive player who is a team player. There are multiple ways we’ve used guys just like him. Everyone is involved in the run game. He is capable of blocking. You just have to tailor everything that you do to your guys’ given skill set to put them in good positions to succeed.”
Gesicki’s high usage as a pass-catcher and where he often lines up has also brought forth questions regarding whether he would contest being designated as a tight end rather than a wide receiver. The franchise tag for receivers is worth $18.4 million.
In 2014, then-New Orleans Saints tight end Jimmy Graham filed a grievance and requested designation as a wide receiver under the franchise tag, citing his high volume of snaps out wide and in the slot. An arbitrator sided with the Saints, saying the tight end position includes a combination of lining up away from the offensive line to catch passes and staying in-line to block.
Gesicki was one of three tight ends, along with the Cleveland Browns’ David Njoku and the Dallas Cowboy’s Dalton Schultz, to get the franchise tag ahead of the 4 p.m. Tuesday deadline. Other notable players to get the tag include Green Pay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin and Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
The Dolphins are now set to have about $51 million in cap space when free agency officially begins but can free up $34 million in simple restructures, according to Over the Cap. Even more money could be gained through veteran cuts. Top needs this offseason include offensive line, running back, wide receiver and defensive end if the team cannot retain Ogbah. McDaniel also said the team will be searching for a backup quarterback as Jacoby Brissett is a pending unrestricted free agent.
This story was originally published March 8, 2022 at 9:22 AM.
