5 Biggest Patriots Busts Halfway Through the Season

3. Mike Gesicki

The New England Patriots moved on from former big-money free agent acquisition Jonnu Smith in the 2023 offseason, trading him to the Atlanta Falcons and reuniting him with Arthur Smith who had him once upon a time in Tennessee.

Reunions were somewhat of a theme here because the Patriots replaced Smith with veteran Mike Gesicki, a former Penn State product and second-round pick of the Miami Dolphins who initially committed to play for Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien when O'Brien was head coach of the Penn State program back in 2013.

Of course, O'Brien left for the Houston Texans in 2014 before Gesicki could ever play for him, but those two have had a connection dating back almost 10 years.

Too bad it hasn't really amounted to much this season.

Gesicki signed a reasonable one-year deal to join the Patriots, and through the first nine games of the season, he's caught just 19 passes, although he did catch a game-winning touchdown a few weeks back as the Patriots pulled off a shocker of an upset against the Buffalo Bills.

Gesicki has always been one of the most talented tight ends in the league when it comes to his combination of size and athleticism, but consistent productivity simply hasn't been there the last couple of years and Gesicki certainly isn't blowing anyone away in this New England offense.