The November 1 NFL trade deadline is coming quickly and you better believe there will be eyes on if the 6-1 New York Giants make an addition or two.
As proposed by Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports, one move that the Giants should make is for Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Geiskci. DeArdo stresses that New York could add another pass-catching option — especially considering starting tight end Daniel Bellinger is out indefinitely with an eye socket injury.
“Acquiring Gesicki makes a lot of sense, especially given Daniel Bellinger’s recent eye injury that is slated to keep him out indefinitely,” DeArdo wrote. “A New Jersey native, Gesicki has proven to be a highly productive player when given the opportunity.”
What’s Led Up to Gesicki Trade Chatter
Entering the NFL with the Dolphins in 2018 as a second-round pick, Gesicki has had success in the league. He’s eclipsed the 700-yard receiving mark in consecutive seasons and caught 13 over a three-year span.
Gesicki’s entering the final year of his contract and had a slow start to the 2022 season. He had 12 targets in the team’s first five games. Still, the veteran tight end has recently been given an increased role in head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense over the last two games, receiving 14 games over that span.
The 27-year-old tight end is known for his receiving abilities. But a large part of his decline in playing time has to do with the lack of blocking ability, According to Pro Football Focus, Gesicki posted a 70.8 receiving grade last season, which ranked 13th among players at his position with at least 30 targets. However, his pass-blocking grade (36.6) ranked as the second-worst among starting tight ends.
Gesicki has been the subject of trade rumors since prior to the start of the season. According to an October 18 report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Miami is still willing to listen to offers for Gesicki.
“Sources say Miami is in the “we’re-willing-to-listen” phase with Gesicki, but isn’t quite shopping his services to other teams,” reported Fowler. Execs I’ve talked to don’t want much to do with his $10.9 million franchise tag and find it odd Miami placed the tag on him in March to sit him on the bench.”
Gesicki’s Obstacles in Getting to NY
It would be hard seeing the Giants trading for Gesicki. He signed a 1-year, fully guaranteed $10.931 million contract with the Dolphins, which, if traded to another team, must go on their books for 2022.
If Gesicki were to be traded to the Giants, they would be on the hook for at least $6.072 million of that fully guaranteed salary, unless Miami would pay the bulk of that salary.
According to the NFLPA public cap report, the Giants have $2,920,483 of cap space left. New York wouldn’t have any options left if they were to trade for Gesicki.
The Giants need offensive help in the second half of the 2022 NFL season. They don’t have a receiver that has more than 200 receiving yards. Daniel Jones would benefit greatly from having a pass-catcher to compliment rookie wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson.
But the Giants aren’t in a comfortable cap situation. It’s likely they will stand pat at the trade deadline, especially with a first-year general manager Joe Schoen who’s made it known that picks and cap space are important.
