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Bengals Sign One Of Joe Burrow's Top Targets To 3-Year Deal

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Mar 8, 2025 12:10 PM ET

The Cincinnati Bengals have a lot of work to do this offseason if they want to keep Joe Burrow happy. With that said, the MVP-caliber quarterback has to be pleased with the front office's latest move.

Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are undoubtedly the top two players on Cincinnati's priority list. The former has one year left on his rookie deal while the latter is hoping to receive a long-term extension after being franchise tagged in back-to-back offseason years. They're not the only pass catchers that deserve a raise though.

Mike Gesicki had a nice 2024 season with the Bengals, hauling in 65 passes for 665 yards and two touchdowns.

Gesicki spent five seasons with the Miami Dolphins and one season with the New England Patriots before joining the Bengals in 2024. The veteran tight end played well enough this past season that Cincinnati wanted to get a deal done before the start of the new league year.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Bengals have signed Gesicki to a three-year contract worth $25.5 million. He'll make $12 million in the first year of that deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Now that Gesicki's contract has been taken care of this offseason, the Bengals can focus on Chase and Higgins. They also have to figure out what they want to do with Trey Hendrickson. He received permission to seek a trade.

Burrow has made it clear that he's willing to alter his contract in order to keep the Bengals' core players around for the long haul.

"You could convert some of the money to a signing bonus, which will lower the cap hit," Burrow said. "You can push some of the money to the back end of the contract. That lowers the cap hit. And then when you get to the back end of the contract, you can restructure it and convert it to a signing bonus. You can also just take less money."

We'll see if the Bengals can successfully retain their key contributors.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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