Tag: Mike Gesicki

2023 NFL Free Agency: The best players left on the open market

The first day of NFL free agency was frantic, but there are still all kinds of good players left on the boards. Here are the biggest and best names.

Now that Day 1 of the illegal tampering period is mostly out of the way, there are still a bunch of players available for any NFL team willing to pay the price. We had a lot of movement on Monday, but the names left on the boards seem to indicate that we could have as much or more activity on Tuesday, and into the actual start of the new league year in Wednesday, March 15, at 4:00 p.m. EST.

2023 NFL Free Agency: Grading all the major transactions

So, if your favorite team hasn’t done enough for your preferences to this point, fear not — all NFL teams are doing everything they can to restructure and cut contracts to free up as much cap room as possible. The team you love might be ready to pounce as we head into the continuation of this frantic process, and if that’s the case, here are the best players left for those teams to choose from.

Our list here is based on available players left from Touchdown Wire’s list of the top free agents overall.

6 underrated free agents worth targeting for the Seahawks

Here are six from the list that make sense for Seattle.

The NFL’s legal tampering window opens today at 9 a.m. west coast time, allowing teams to negotiate with agents for players that are about to hit the market. Teams and players can agree to deals but nothing is official until the new league year begins on Wedensday afternoon.

As for the Seattle Seahawks, they pulled off a remarkable heist last week, re-signing veteran quarterback Geno Smith to a super team-friendly deal with only a $10.1 million cap hit for the 2023 season. Now Seattle has about $20.2 million leftover to sign other free agents and pay their draft class. With the rookies taking about half that amount, they are firmly out of the market for acquiring any big-name veterans.

However, there are an unusual number of underrated options out there that could be had for a discount this year. This morning Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire listed underrated free agents at every position. Here are six from the list that make sense for Seattle.

Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki explains what he’s looking for in his next team

A future in Miami doesn’t seem like it’s in the cards.

Free agency is just days away, and for the first time in his NFL career, it appears like Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki will get a chance to talk to other teams.

The Penn State product was set to hit the market last offseason, but a franchise tag from the Dolphins kept him in South Florida for one more season – the first under head coach Mike McDaniel.

Gesicki didn’t exactly fit the scheme in Miami, recording just 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. So, while McDaniel and general manager Chris Grier have been sure not to shut the door on a Gesicki return in 2023, it probably wouldn’t make sense.

The tight end recently spoke with former NFL quarterback Matt Cassel for The 33rd Team, where he explained exactly what he’s looking for in his next stop.

“There’s definitely a ton of different options,” Gesicki said. “I’d love to go to a scheme that’s willing to utilize me and my talents to the best of my ability. I like to move around in the offense. I can play in the slot, play outside, be attached to the line and attack the middle of the field. Obviously, third-down, red-zone stuff, when I’m matched up against a favorable matchup. I don’t really get too many linebackers but definitely safeties, things like that.

“Just getting some opportunities like that would be great and getting back to doing what I’ve always been able to do is just make plays and force defenses to, kinda, show their hand and what they’re doing and who’s covering who, just make it easier on everybody else.”

Obviously, those aren’t things that happened this last year. He wasn’t allowed to play the role he normally did when Brian Flores was the head coach, and another team will likely realize that and pay him good money to do just that for their organization.

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2023 NFL Free Agency: The most underrated players of the upcoming class

With NFL free agency just around the corner, it’s time to look at the hidden gems of this class — the underrated players who will outperform their new contracts.

While big-name, big-dollar free-agency signings rule the headlines at the start of every league year, smart franchises understand that it’s the lesser-known contracts that frequently make the biggest difference when everybody hits the field months from now.

In 2022, the Seattle Seahawks let quarterback Geno Smith test the open market before re-signing him to a one-year, $3.5 million deal that worked out pretty well for everybody involved. Smith became the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year, Seattle’s post-Russell Wilson franchise quarterback, and he got a major new deal when all was said and done.

The Eagles would not have made it to Super Bowl LVII without two relatively unheralded signings — cornerback James Bradberry to a one-year, $7.25 million deal, and pass-rusher Haason Reddick to a three-year, $45 million pact. Both players were defensive cornerstones throughout Philly’s remarkable season.

As we turn to the 2023 free agency cycle that begins Monday with the legal tampering period, and becomes official when players can actually sign contracts on Wednesday at 4:01 p.m. EST, it’s time to look at those players who might not be the biggest names, but could make profound impacts on their new teams (or their previous teams in some instances) based on past performance.

Here’s our list of the hidden gems of the 2023 free agency class.

Every former Penn State player who will be an NFL free agent

Penn State has 40 players currently in the NFL, 13 of them are primed to be free agents when the new league year starts.

Penn State has 40 players currently in the NFL, 13 of them are primed to be free agents next week.

Penn State has long been a storied program in the college football ranks and they have always produced quality NFL talent, including several Hall of Fame players. In the mix of it all, the present crop of Nittany Lions in the league is well-represented at nearly every position.

Here are the 13 looming free agents that have played inside Beaver Stadium that will be looking for new deals when the NFL league year begins on Tuesday.

Dolphins TE listed as ‘best match’ for Jaguars in free agency

The Jaguars franchised Evan Engram, but could still use some tight end help.

The Jacksonville Jaguars secured Evan Engram’s return by using the franchise tag on their 28-year-old tight end, but the team is still set to have a thin depth chart at the position with both Chris Manhertz and Dan Arnold set to become free agents next week.

While many have suggested the Jaguars take a tight end early in the 2023 NFL Draft, Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders has a different idea.

In a post for ESPN, Schatz wrote about the player that would be the “best match” for each team in free agency, and he highlighted the Miami Dolphins’ Mike Gesicki as an ideal target for the Jaguars.

Evan Engram will be back on the franchise tag, but the Jaguars could put together a dangerous and flexible two-tight-end set featuring two strong receiving options in Engram and Gesicki. Gesicki isn’t much of a blocker, which is why he didn’t fit what Mike McDaniel wanted to do in Miami, but Doug Pederson did plenty of good things with two-tight-end sets when he was in Philadelphia. With more usage than he got in Miami last year, Gesicki can easily bounce back to his 2020 and 2021 levels, when he had over 700 receiving yards each season.

Also notable in the article from Schatz is that Jaguars right tackle Jawaan Taylor is listed as the perfect free agent for the Chicago Bears.

Gesicki, 27, was a second-round pick in 2018 and recorded 2,255 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first four seasons with the Dolphins. In the 2022 offseason, Miami surprised many by using the franchise tag to keep Gesicki.

Despite committing $10.9 million to retain Gesicki, the Dolphins didn’t use the tight end much during a breakout season for the Miami offense in 2022. Gesicki finished the year with 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns.

During Doug Pederson’s time as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, the team drafted Dallas Goedert in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, despite already having Zach Ertz — a Pro Bowler in 2017, 2018, and 2019 — on the roster.

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2025 4-star tight end includes Penn State in top 11 schools

Penn State is among the top schools for the nation’s top TE recruit in 2025.

The recruiting grind never stops in college football. While the main focus has shifted to the 2024 recruiting class, younger prospects across the country are in communication with coaches and taking campus visits.

Davon Mitchell is the number one ranked tight-end prospect out of the 2025 class. 247Sports has the California recruit ranked 29th in the entire country. At 6′ 3″ and 220 pounds, he is a highly coveted player and received about 30 offers from schools across the nation.

On February 24, Mitchell cut his list down to 11 schools.

Those on his list include Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, USC, Oregon, and Ohio State.

Being that Mitchell is a 2025 recruit, there is still a long way to go in his recruitment.

He told Chad Simmons of On3, “it’s most definitely about relationships, development.”

When asked about the teams on his list Mitchell said, “at the end, I will pick one of those 11 schools, for sure. These schools are the schools that communicate with me a lot. We talk a lot and build relationships.”

Because it’s so early in the recruiting process, Mitchell has only visited Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.

He is scheduled to visit Penn State in mid-March.

On3’s recruiting predictor machine currently lists Oklahoma with the best odds of landing him. According to their tool, the Sooners have a 44.1% chance of landing Mitchell, while Alabama sits at 13.6%. Both Texas and A&M have a 5.9% chance.

As it stands right now, On3 is giving Penn State a less than 1% to land the 4-star recruit.

That’s not too surprising given Mitchell hasn’t visited the campus and seen the program in person. The good news is Penn State is in the final 11, giving themselves a shot at landing the coveted recruit.

He also told Simmons, “I want to go somewhere that’s gonna develop me, get me to the next level, to the league. Those are the most important things right now.”

Recently, Penn State has put three tight ends in the NFL, [autotag]Jesse James[/autotag], [autotag]Pat Freiermuth[/autotag] and [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag]. [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] got invited to the NFL Combine and could be a late round draft pick in the 2023 draft.

Penn State certainly has the pedigree to fit what Mitchell is looking for in a college program. We’ll see if his visit to State College can put Penn State further up his rankings.

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2023 NFL Combine Profile: Brenton Strange, Tight End

Penn State tight end Brenton Strange may have the most at stake at the NFL Combine

Penn State has developed a nice track record of producing NFL tight ends in recent years. Recent tight-end products have included [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag] and [autotag]Pat Freiermuth[/autotag], and [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] looks to follow in their footsteps in the 2023 NFL draft.

Strange has wrapped up his college career at Penn State and will look to catch the eyes of some NFL scouts and coaches searching for a tight end in this year’s draft class. Strange may not be one of the top tight ends off the board like his predecessors, but he could be one of the more interesting names at the position to keep tabs on during the combine as a potential prospect on the rise with a good showing.

Here is a look at Penn State’s top tight end heading into the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

Mike Gesicki has hysterical reaction Caleb Williams’ comments about playing for Dolphins

He’s just trying to get everything planned out.

Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career this offseason after being franchise-tagged around this time last year.

That’s fairly common knowledge across the NFL world, but apparently, news hasn’t traveled to college football star Caleb Williams. When the Heisman Trophy winner said that he wanted to play with the Dolphins in 2024, he listed Gesicki as a weapon that he’d have at his disposal.

Right now, this doesn’t appear to be true, as Gesicki didn’t have his best year under head coach Mike McDaniel and will likely get paid elsewhere.

The former Penn State tight end took to Twitter to share his hilarious reaction to Williams’ comments.

Gesicki has always been a good sport about his situation and has found light in the situation. This response comes just days after sharing his highlight tape during his five seasons with the Dolphins.

If having Gesicki will somehow get Williams to commit to only playing in South Florida, it may be something the Dolphins have to consider.

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Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki joked Caleb Williams knows something he didn’t about his unclear Miami future

Gesicki took this awkwardness in stride.

Possible future NFL superstar quarterback Caleb Williams recently telling People that he’d like to eventually play for the Miami Dolphins has had some interesting reverberating effects. You know, because many teams will theoretically listen to his opinions.

First, there was Tyreek Hill seemingly signaling his approval of Williams potentially joining Miami once he presumably enters the 2024 NFL Draft next spring. This was a little awkward, considering Tua Tagovailoa is the Dolphins’ current starting quarterback.

As Williams’ interview spread around Dolphins World, Miami tight end Mike Gesicki eventually caught wind of it. The USC Trojans star mentioned Gesicki as someone he’d like to play with, so the conversation was pertinent to the established veteran.

Though, this was more awkward since Gesicki is currently slated to be an unrestricted free agent, and it’s not apparent he’ll even be in Miami by 2024. The 27-year-old had the worst output of his career by receptions (32) and yards (362) in 2022 and played on just over 45 percent of the Dolphins’ offensive snaps.

As such, the TE had a rather hilariously snarky reply once he saw Williams talking him up:

So, uh… yeah. Does Williams actually know something about Gesicki’s future? Or is he just a fan of the TE’s game?

Because either sentiment can be valid, but the former suggests Williams is plugged in with someone in the Dolphins’ organization, and that’s a massive conclusion to take from just one interview with a huge college football star.

Maybe the Dolphins do bring Gesicki back into the fold. But it’s doubtful Williams, of all people, knows that’s happening in advance.