4 options for the Detroit Lions to replace T.J. Hockenson in 2023

4. Mike Gesicki

Cue the dueling Spider-Man GIF. Many Lions’ fans will look at Gesicki and see a Hockenson clone–a very capable receiver who leaves something to be desired as a blocker. But the Miami Dolphins don’t pretend Gesicki is an in-line mauler or adds any value as a blocker, as he is top-10 in slot snaps (82 snaps; 31.4 percent rate) among tight ends according to Player Profiler.

Gesicki is playing this season on the franchise tag, at $10.9 million. They surely won’t tag him again, or all but surely sign him to a long-term deal–for many of the same reasons the Lions were hesitant to go to the fullest extent to get an extension done with Hockenson. It’s not a knock on the player himself, but more an acknowledgement of a bloating tight end market they’d rather not get embedded in.

The Dolphins were entertaining training Gesicki before the deadline, which further says it all about his future with the team.

Spotrac has tabbed Gesicki’s current market value at $13.5 million per year, on a four-year deal. The Lions could clear a lot of cap space for the offseason with certain moves. So it could be more palatable to pay up at tight end.

It would be an odd pivot for the Lions to signing Gesicki in free agency, after trading Hockenson months beforehand because they didn’t want to pay him. But never say never.