‘I Have Nothing Negative To Say’ – Bengals Tight End Mike Gesicki Ready To Face Former Team Sunday

CINCINNATI – For the second year in a row, Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki is getting a chance to face the team that declined to sign him in the offseason right off the bat.

Last year he signed with the New England Patriots after five seasons in South Florida, and the Patriots welcomed the Miami Dolphins in Week 2.

Gesicki One of Two Bengals Set To Face Former Patriots Teammates

This spring, Gesicki left New England to sign with Cincinnati. The Patriots will follow him to Paycor for the season opener.

“Leading up to it, you see some familiar faces, and you line up and it’s guys that you were eating lunch with last year,” Gesicki said.

“I have nothing negative to say. It’s all positive reviews from my part,” he added later. “At the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s one of the 17 guaranteed opportunities that we have. It’s the first of those, and I’m excited and looking forward to it.”

Staying in the AFC East, Gesicki got two cracks at his former Miami lunchmates last year. But the two games were completely different when it came to his usage.

In the Week 2 matchup, Gesicki had five catches on six targets for 33 yards, and the 53 offensive snaps he logged were his second-most of the season (55 vs. Washington Commanders in Week 9).

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But in the Week 10 rematch with the Dolphins, Gesicki had just two catches on three targets for 11 yards. His 15 snaps were the second-lowest of his campaign.

Gesicki finished the year with 29 catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns — his lowest marks since his rookie season with Miami in 2018

ZappeMania in full effect‼️

Buys time and finds Gesicki for the TD! pic.twitter.com/p6t9e28V0q

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 25, 2023

His workload in the season opener figures to look a lot more like that Week 2 game, and the Bengals are counting on his overall production in 2024 to be closer to his peak years of 2020-21 with the Dolphins. He averaged 63 catches, 742 yards, and four touchdowns in that span.

Joe Burrow had made sure to involve his tight ends since arriving in 2020, and Gesicki said his comfort level with his new quarterback — and the offense as a whole — are at the levels he expected when he signed his one-year, $2.5 million contract in March.

But they’re not yet where they ultimately need to be.

“I feel great,” he said. “I’m still learning on a daily basis, but every day I’m feeling more and more comfortable and feeling good. You’re starting to hear the play calls and not thinking as much and you’re just going out there and playing. You can ask me that question again in November, and I’m going to be saying the same thing, that every day I’m getting more comfortable.

“Learning a new scheme and getting coached up differently and trying to build chemistry, the coaches do a phenomenal job of installing and making sure guys are in position to be successful. And then it’s up to us to master it and go out there and execute.”

Gesicki won’t be the only former Patriots player facing his former team. Offensive tackle Trent Brown played four seasons in New England, including the last three.

Brown, who like Gesicki signed a one-year contract ($4.8 million) with Cincinnati in March, will start at right tackle.

But it’s not just Gesicki and Brown who will be wearing new uniforms Sunday. The entire team will do so as the Bengals unveil the debut of their all-orange look – orange jerseys, orange pants, orange socks.

There's only one color we want to see in the Jungle on Sept 8th… Orange. pic.twitter.com/JSM09YEqC8

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) August 16, 2024

That’s the one thing that concerns Gesicki about Sunday.

“I’m tall and lanky, so I don’t know how it’s gonna look on me,” he said with a laugh. “But we’ll see on Sunday. I am excited about it. I know it’s the first time in franchise history that they’ve done that. So it’s super cool to be a part of it.

“But I’m not guaranteeing that I’m gonna be the coolest-looking one out there.”