Gesicki kicks off Smythe campaign to keep Dolphins' brotherly tight end tandem intact
MIAMI GARDENS — When the “re-sign Durham Smythe” campaign officially kicked off this week, there was no band, no crowd, no confetti. There also was no knowledge such an event was occurring on the part of Durham Smythe. Hence, no obligatory “I’m Durham Smythe and I approved this message.”
The man behind it was obvious. It was Mike Gesicki, showing up to his media session over Zoom wearing Smythe’s No. 81 jersey.
More: Habib: Radical thought, but maybe Dolphins will want third season to judge Tua Tagovailoa
More: Dolphins: We know Tua Tagovailoa can throw down the field
More: Habib: How a message from Brian Flores inspired Dolphins to do a 180 on 2021 season
“Today, I figured I’d come in here and give him all of the praise and start his campaign to be a Miami Dolphin next year and moving forward,” Gesicki said. “So Chris, if you’re listening, this is my campaign for Durham.”
If Chris — that’s general manager Chris Grier to the rest of us — was listening, his laughter might just now start dying down. It's the latest chapter in a Dolphins friendship, the likes of which we may not have seen since Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick, a k a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
They were born 55 days and about 66 miles apart, Smythe, a Philly kid, and Gesicki, a Jersey boy. The Philly kid actually grew up in Texas and went to Notre Dame, while the Jersey boy migrated over state lines to attend Penn State.
Both were drafted by the Dolphins in 2018 and, given their alma maters and that they technically played the same position, they shouldn’t have liked each other much. But they couldn’t help it. Besides the fact that each could help the other with the weakness in his game, there was an instant personal connection that seems bound to last even if this is their last season as Dolphins teammates.
No media session with either tight end is complete without them both stumping for the other and mercilessly ragging on the other guy.
“Yesterday he went over his season career-high in yardage,” Gesicki said, referring to Sunday’s victory over the Jets. “Last year he had 208 receiving yards on I think 26 catches maybe. Was the yards per catch great? No. But was the yards up there for him a career high? Yes.”
Gesicki was just getting warmed up with the back-handed compliments.
“So I figured I’d come in here wearing his jersey and give him a little boost,” he said. “I know he wouldn’t do it for me, but I’ll do it for him.”
It didn’t matter that it was pointed out that Smythe has made appeals for the Dolphins to re-sign Gesicki. With these guys, facts never get in the way.
“I know he’ll come in here and say it, but he probably won’t come in here and put on an 88 jersey,” Gesicki said, standing up so the camera could show that Gesicki was wearing Smythe’s No. 81.
House guest invites himself over
Smythe actually met with reporters Wednesday.
He was not wearing a No. 88 jersey.
“To start off, I want to say I left my Mike Gesicki shirt in Texas," Smythe said, feigning an apologetic tone. "I have one. Post bye-week when I’m back up here, you guys will see that. It will be perfect timing, right in time for the Pro Bowl push, so I’ll have that on but that’s a little delayed right now. The relationship isn’t one sided, so you can’t think of it like that.”
Gesicki certainly would appreciate a push for his first Pro Bowl. He's fifth among all tight end in early fan voting.
Such is the nature of their friendship. Take the start of training camp, when Smythe was getting his things together in Texas but his lease in Florida had run out. Smythe informed Gesicki he was about to get a house guest.
“I didn’t ask,” Smythe said. “I said, ‘I’ll live in your guest room for a few weeks.’ ”
Do something like that and you learn about a person.
“Mike’s a smart guy,” Smythe said. “He knows football very well. If you ask him academia questions, he might get those potentially right. But basic knowledge of most things in terms of like, common sense, let’s call it — movies, shows, anything in pop culture — he knows absolutely nothing.”
A 4.95 at the Combine? Not quite
With these two, there’s no letup even when it comes to football. After Smythe caught a 23-yard pass in the victory over Baltimore, Gesicki landed a better shot than the Ravens.
“He was moving,” Gesicki said. “I’m not going to give him too much praise. At that point, it looked like he was the only person on the field. There was nobody around him. He pretty much just ran his 40-yard dash from the Combine. I am happy for him. Maybe he hit his — whatever he hit, 4.95 at the Combine, or whatever he hit.”
Smythe: “Really since the Combine back in 2018 or whatever that was, he’s given me a bunch of crap about top-end speed and stuff. I can guarantee you it was better than a 4.9.”
Gesicki, again: “Bro, it was a joke. Relax.”
(For the record, it was a 4.81.)
Although they’re reluctant to talk about it in-season, both men know the personal importance of this year. Entering the league in 2018 means their contracts run out after this season. Unless they’re re-signed in the interim — and there has been no sign of movement so far — they’ll both be on a path toward free agency.
Smythe said Gesicki's campaign didn't result in a contract immediately getting waved in his face, but it was good for laughs inside the facility among both players and executives.
"It’s kind of fun just because we are close enough in that relationship where we can joke about something like that," Smythe said. "We’ll continue to do that and pry at the bear a little bit.”
Smythe has always been considered the “blocking” tight end and Gesicki, the “receiving” tight end. Gesicki is maximizing his forte with 579 receiving yards thus far, a pace that would give him a career-best 894 this season. Smythe now has 221 receiving yards, topping his career high of 208 set last year even though there are six games to go.
“See, Durham is a guy that goes under the radar and I’m just trying to elevate his (profile),” Gesicki said. “Like he is not even on the Pro Bowl ballot. That’s another thing. Just get him on there. I’ll have to get in touch with NFL.com. Maybe we can get him on there. I’ll vote for him.”
Laughs aside, Gesicki's gesture was appreciated by Smythe.
"I mean that’s just kind of the guy he is," Smythe said. "A guy that gets a lot of attention around the building and then he passes it on to guys that maybe aren’t talked as much about — the offensive line, other tight ends like myself. That’s just kind of the guy he is. It comes back full circle and says a lot about him.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dolphins' Gesicki begins campaign to re-sign longtime buddy Smythe
