Bengals TE Mike Gesicki Calls Joe Burrow ‘Best Quarterback on Planet Earth,’ Credits Him for Deal To Stay With Team

CINCINNATI – Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki’s personality clicked immediate with quarterback Joe Burrow, and their chemistry on the field followed.

During the team’s five-game winning streak to end the season, Gesicki caught 26 passes, which were the sixth most among tight ends during that stretch.

He finished the season with 65 catches, the second most of any tight end in team history behind Dan Ross’ 71 in 1981.

But as well as Gesicki connected with Burrow on and off the field, the tight end still was surprised to learn of how highly his quarterback thought of him as Burrow made the rounds during Super Bowl week, stumping for the team to given extensions to wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and, yes, “Mike G.”

“That picture on Twitter you see where the dude is pointing at himself on the couch, that was me literally on my couch,” Gesicki said. “I was sitting there with my wife and looked at her like Halle, 'Mike G. I think he's talking about me.'

“So when he said that, it was awesome just because it shows the chemistry that we were able to build on the field with the plays that we made and the chemistry off the field, it all translated to that,” Gesicki continued. “It was a really cool moment. We definitely got some good laughs out of it.”

Gesicki agreed to a three-year, $25.5 million contract, which he mentioned was his longest deal since the one he signed as a rookie second-round pick in 2018.

Since then, the Dolphins used the franchise tag on him in 2022, the Patriots signed him to a one-year deal in 2023 and the Bengals brought him in on a one-year, $2.5 million contract last year.

When Gesicki visited Paycor Stadium last spring, he said he knew if he could play for the Bengals it would change the trajectory of his career.

“Last year I was just begging everybody in the building to give me a chance,” Gesicki said. “I knew that if I got my foot in the door here that it was going to be the perfect situation. So now to capitalize on that and kind of see the vision be what it is today, I'm super grateful.

“I'm gonna work my tail off every single day (not just) for the Cincinnati Bengals, but for Joe Burrow,” Gesicki added. “Because he did so much for my career last year, just giving me the opportunity and believing in me and trusting in me that 'Hey, Mike's gonna win. I'm gonna throw him the ball when you've got Ja'Marr and Tee who are attracting attention.'”

Did Burrow’s endorsement last month help keep him in Cincinnati?

It’s hard to argue otherwise.

“I owe a lot to him, and I'm super grateful for our friendship,” Gesicki said. “It's been cool to kind of watch that development. Definitely having the best quarterback on planet Earth have your back, that helps."

More of a wide receiver than a traditional tight end, Gesicki can be a bridge/contingency plan if the Bengals can’t get an extension done with Higgins.

Of Gesicki’s 525 snaps last year, 65 were inline in the traditional tight end role, combined with 336 in the slot and 120 out wide.

That was almost identical to what he did in New England in 2023 (94 inline, 322 slot, 106 wide).

Gesicki doesn’t have Higgins’ skill set – few do – but Gesicki can play anywhere in the formation and that chemistry he has built with Burrow is only going to strengthen.

That’s why he said he was more concerned about staying in Cincinnati than trying to test his value on the open market and going to a fourth team in four seasons.

“I definitely knew that I was gonna take the Joe Burrow tax,” he said. “I knew that, and I was like 'I'm cool with it.'”

Gesicki said as he weighed hitting the market, he kept thinking about head coach Zac Taylor, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, tight ends coach James Casey and quarterbacks coach and third-down guru Brad Kragthorpe.

“There's so many different guys that were in the back of mind as I was thinking about, 'Do I test the market?' You hear about your value and all that kind of stuff and what it could be. At that point, I was like, 'This is what I want. I want to go to Cincinnati, and I wanted to be in an offense that allowed me to reach my potential. This place gives me everything I'm looking for.

“It feels good to be appreciated, to be wanted, to be valued,” Gesicki added. “So I’m excited about it.”

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