Jaguars named potential trade destination for Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki

The Jacksonville Jaguars got Trevor Lawrence myriad weapons in the offseason and even though they haven’t fully hit their stride yet, there’s no doubt they have no shortage of talent in 2022. But could the Jags’ offense use another playmaker?  Alex Kay of Bleacher Report seems to believe so.

Kay put together a list of five wild trades that make sense before the Nov. 1 deadline a proposes Jacksonville trades for Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki. He argues that the Phins are enjoying offensive success under first-year Mike McDaniel but points out that Gesicki hasn’t had a huge role in it.

"The 27-year-old has been targeted only 12 times in five games, accumulating nine receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins surely were not envisioning that type of production when they franchise-tagged him this offseason following a career-best-73-catch, 780-yard, two-score campaign.With Gesicki’s limited contribution in other areas — he’s a poor blocker and barely plays special teams — it would behoove Miami to acknowledge that tagging him was a mistake and deal him before the deadline.It could be difficult to find a take for Gesicki’s $10.9 million salary, but the Jacksonville Jaguars should be willing to absorb that because of their clear need for his skill set. Jacksonville has long been in the market for a high-end pass-catcher at the position. Evan Engram has been a decent free-agent pickup — notching 19 catches for 168 yards — but Gesicki is a cut above him and would elevate the offense to new heights."

A second-round pick in the 2018 draft, Gesicki has spent his whole career with Miami and has his numbers increase in each of his first four seasons. But as Kay noted, the former Penn State Nittany Lion has hardly been involved in the Dolphins’ offense this year, which would make him an appealing option for teams looking to upgrade their tight end room.

Would it make sense for the Jaguars to trade for Mike Gesicki?

Evan Engram has the best tight end available in free agency, so signing him was a no-brainer for the Jaguars. Then again, Gesicki, along with David Njoku and Dalton Schultz, was slated to be available and were slapped with the franchise tag, and if any of them had been available there’s a chance one of them could have landed in Jacksonville instead of Engram.

Gesicki himself was named a free-agency fit for the Jags more than once but it’s fair to wonder if they would be still interested in acquiring him if given the chance. For starters, they have around $3.9 million in cap space, so they would probably need to restructure a few contracts in order to create room.

Then, there’s the fact that the Jags will be in a cap crunch next year, so they will have a limited budget to work with and it would be hard to give Gesicki a new deal. Last but not least, Jacksonville would need to part ways with some kind of compensation, probably a second or third-round pick, and it’s hard to tell if the team’s brass is willing to invest draft selections and cap room in potential upgrades to their tight end room.

There’s no doubt Gesicki is a dynamic pass catcher that would give the Jags’ passing game a boost but he’s not a complete tight end, which is one of the reasons he hasn’t been a fit in McDaniel’s offense. He’s an asset as a receiver but doesn’t offer much in pass protection, something the Jaguars would need to be ok with.

Would the Jags benefit from acquiring Gesicki? Absolutely but there’s a reason Kay called it a wild idea. It sounds good on paper but it might be challenging to pull off. On the other hand, shopping tight end Dan Arnold to the Buffalo Bills might make more sense.