Report: Mike Gesicki, Bengals Agree to $25.5M Contract Ahead of 2025 NFL Free Agency

As the Cincinnati Bengals continue to work on getting long-term deals done with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they were able to work out a new contract with Mike Gesicki before the start of free agency.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Gesicki has agreed to a three-year deal to remain in Cincinnati.

ESPN's Adam Schefter added Gesicki will earn $25.5 million on his new contract.

Gesicki was one of the better free-agent bargains in the NFL last season. He signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with Cincinnati.

Playing in the Bengals' high-powered offense brought out arguably the best version of Gesicki in the NFL. He finished 2024 with 65 receptions for 665 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games.

Even though Gesicki is listed as a tight end, he might as well be a glorified wide receiver. His history when teams ask him to line up in line and run block is not good at all.

Gesicki ran the second-most slot routes of any tight end in the NFL last season, trailing only the 261 by Las Vegas Raiders star Brock Bowers.

It's not necessarily great news for the Bengals running game, but they tied for the second-fewest rushing attempts (380) in the NFL last season anyway. They seem pretty content with building an offense around one of the most explosive passing games in the league.

Another issue is defense, which also seems to be something the Bengals aren't that interested in. They've given Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade as he tries to obtain a new contract.

Rapoport said he expects Hendrickson will get dealt, while adding the Bengals have made "some level of progress" in talks with both Chase and Higgins on long-term contracts.

Chase and Higgins are far more important to the success of Cincinnati's offense than Gesicki, but Gesicki became the first Bengals tight end with at least 500 yards in a season since Joe Burrow entered the league in 2020.

It's also not a huge sum that the Bengals are paying Gesicki to keep him in the building. His $8.5 million annual salary on this new deal is tied with Tyler Higbee of the Los Angeles Rams for 14th-most among all tight ends.