The Miami Dolphins made their first big roster decision this offseason when they opted to place the franchise tag on Mike Gesicki, making sure that they would have his rights this offseason.
From there, the Dolphins could do a number of things with the former Nittany Lion.
Miami could keep Gesicki on the one-year tag and see how he fits in new head coach Mike McDaniel’s system. If they are confident that he will fit, they could decide to work out an extension before the season starts, lowering his 2022 cap number and keeping him around beyond just the year. If they just wanted to make sure that they don’t let him go for nothing, they could simply trade Gesicki away on his tag number that, right now, is very reasonable.
However, that number might not be so reasonable going forward, as there’s a very real chance that Gesicki files a grievance saying that he deserves to be tagged as a wide receiver and not as a tight end, and he has a case.
According to Pro Football Focus’ Ryan Smith, Mike Gesicki has lined up as a tight end for 12% of his snaps, in the slot for 55% of his snaps, and out wide for 30% of his snaps.
The highest-profile grievance like this was Jimmy Graham with the Saints back in the 2014 offseason. The prior year he lined up as a tight end for 33% of his snaps, in the slot for 45% of his snaps, and out wide for 22% of his snaps.
It’s evident that Gesicki spends much more time playing like an actual receiver than Graham did. While Graham didn’t win his grievance, Gesicki would have more of a case.
The change from a franchise tag at tight end to franchise tag to wide receiver is roughly $7.5 million. That increase would likely change the Dolphins’ plans for Gesicki going forward.
At this point, it’s unknown whether Gesicki will even file a grievance, but there’s a chance he could, and there’s a chance he wins.