5 Patriots who could be playing their final three games with New England

Mike Gesicki

It has been a tough road in New England trying to put together a duo of game-changing tight ends again since the glorious season with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in 2011. But it's also not been easy for Belichick to find just one reliable guy at the position since the "retirement" of Gronk in 2019.

It seems like they found the right guy for the job in Hunter Henry, who had a career year in 2021 and appeared back on that track this season after a forgettable 2022. Because his performance this year remained questionable, Mike Gesicki was signed to complement Henry and open up the field a bit, which was deemed an under-the-radar good addition this summer.

He wasn't brought in as a typical tight end, as he was known to be a poor blocker and more of a jumbo tight end. Henry would handle the blocking part of the job, and Gesicki would presumably be used as a big red zone target.

Unfortunately, that hasn't come to fruition and looks like another poor roster decision for an offense in dire need of help.

Because this upcoming offseason feels like it will be one of the more pivotal years in the Patriots franchise history, with a possible complete teardown from coaching to the roster, Gesicki doesn't seem like a lock to be re-signed for 2024.