3 Dolphins that won’t be back next year and best options to replace them

Mike Gesicki simply won’t fit in the Dolphins’ budget on a new contract

Tight end Mike Gesicki was slated to hit free agency last offseason but Miami kept him around by putting the franchise tag on him. He continued to be productive, particularly in Mike McDaniel’s newfound offensive firepower and even in spite of the revolving door at quarterback. But now comes the part where he’s slated to be a free agent again.

Put simply, it’s hard to imagine a world in which the Dolphins are able to keep their tight end in the building. He’s going to get something along the lines of $10 million in AAV on a new contract which is not a number that Miami can afford to take on. This is simply a matter of him being out of the team’s price range in their current cap situation.

Make no mistake, the Phins would love to keep him around. But sometimes that’s not in the cards due to financial constraints and this seems to be one of those times, which will leave the franchise with a pretty sizeable hole that will need to be filled.

Dolphins best replacement option for Mike Gesicki

• Hayden Hurst (Free Agency)
• Foster Moreau (Free Agency)
• Tucker Kraft (NFL Draft)

With Gesicki almost surely gone, the Dolphins need to find another pass-catcher and preferably a big-bodied and reliable-handed player. Hurst and Moreau could be cheap free agency options to explore there, or the team could look at a potential second-or-third-round pick in Tucker Kraft from South Dakota State, a 6-foot-5, 255-pounder who was highly productive and has immense upside.