Mike Gesicki is one of the biggest names on the 2023 NFL free agency market. The Miami Dolphins tight end is still just 27 years old and only a season removed from his career year. He’s not the best fit for Mike McDaniel’s system, though, so teams like the Houston Texans, New York Giants, and Los Angeles Chargers should take note.

The former Penn State Nittany Lions TE was a 2018 NFL Draft pick of the Dolphins. In his first four seasons, he increased his receptions and receiving yards every season, culminating in 2021 with 73 catches for 780 yards and two touchdowns.

His production dropped off dramatically in 2022. Gesicki ended the season with 32 catches for 362 yards and five touchdowns. The TE isn’t the greatest blocker in the league, which hurts him in McDaniel’s run-based offense.

Now in NFL free agency, several tight end-needy teams will vie for Gesicki’s services. Here are the three best landing spots for the Dolphins tight end in free agency, ranked.

New York Giants

The Giants didn’t get a ton of production from the tight end position last season. Rookie Daniel Bellinger contributed 30 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns, while the only other TE currently on the roster, Dre Miller, was on the practice squad last season.

Not getting a lot from the position group doesn’t really distinguish the Giants’ tight ends, though. None of the Big Blue pass catchers had a particularly impressive season last year.

Now, the Giants need an upgrade in that department, and without Bellinger, Isaiah Hodgins, Wan’Dale Robinson, or the injured Collin Johnson making a leap next year, there aren’t a lot of options. The team could draft some pass-catcher (and likely will), but the free-agent WR market is uninspiring at best.

That’s why Mike Gesicki could be an interesting target. At his core, he is a 6-foot-6 wide receiver who operates in the slot. On some teams, that’s an issue. But for the Giants, who need able-bodied pass-catchers, it could be a perfect fit.

Houston Texans

This NFL offseason, the Texans need, well, everything. Houston has quite possibly the worst roster in the league last season from top to bottom and can use an upgrade at almost every position.

At the 2023 NFL Draft, the team will start the upgrading process by taking a quarterback, likely Bryce Young from Alabama, C.J. Stroud from Ohio State, or Will Levis from Kentucky. Once they do that, the next step is putting skill players around that QB who will help the signal-caller develop and succeed.

Mike Gesicki can be that type of player. He is a big target with a large catch radius and great hands. He is the type of safety blanket that any young quarterback would love to have. And he’s a major upgrade over Brevin Jordan, Teagan Quitoriano, and Mason Schreck, the three TEs on the Texans roster right now.

The only problem with this NFL free agency match is that former San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is the new head coach in Houston. He worked under Kyle Shanahan for several years alongside Mike McDaniel and is bringing in former 49ers offensive passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik.

Slowik is the passing game coordinator to the run game coordinator like McDaniel was, so maybe he has different criteria for his tight ends. If not, though, he may find Mike Gesicki fails to measure up as a blocker as well.

Los Angeles Chargers

The best NFL free agency destination for soon-to-be former Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki is the Chargers.

Last season, Gerald Everett was the team’s starting TE, with 58 catches for 555 yards and four touchdowns. He is still on the roster, along with Tre McKitty, Stone Smartt, and Hunter Kampmoyer, but again, if Gesicki came in, he’d immediately move to the top of the heap.

Like the Giants, the Chargers need to upgrade their pass-catchers this NFL offseason with Keenan Allen getting older and Mike Williams’ health in question. And also like the Giants, they will likely find the NFL free agency market at wideout disappointing.

That’s where a player like Gesicki could come in and be the de facto upgrade at the WR position even though he is a TE. The point is, for Justin Herbert to take the next step in his development — and 2023 and beyond is all about Herbert — the QB needs more reliable targets, and Gesicki can be that.

On Gesicki’s side, the Chargers may not be able to pay the most (that’s the Texans followed by the Giants), but they do give him the best chance at a deep playoff run next season.