Mike Gesicki: You think about testing market, but Bengals give me all I want

Tight end Mike Gesicki agreed to re-sign with the Bengals before the NFL’s free agent negotiating window opened on Monday and that decision was one of the talking points at a press conference in Cincinnati on Tuesday.

Gesicki signed a three-year, $25.5 million deal and he was asked about not taking the opportunity to see if there was more available on the open market. If he did leave money on the table, Gesicki said he was comfortable paying a “Joe Burrow tax” because of his comfort level with the quarterback, head coach Zac Taylor and the rest of the pieces in place on offense with the Bengals.

“There’s so many different guys that were in the back of my mind as I’m thinking about, you know, do I test the market? You hear about your value and all that kind of stuff and what it could be, and at that point, it’s just like, this is what I want,” Gesicki said. “I wanted to go to Cincinnati, and I wanted to be in an offense that allowed me to reach my potential, and I think that this place gives me everything I’m looking for.”

Gesicki caught 65 passes in Cincinnati last season, so it’s easy to understand why he was willing to take the bird in hand over whatever else might have been out there. Gesicki said he believes there’s “definitely room to grow on offense,” but hitting new heights might depend on the Bengals’ ability to get wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins under contract as well.