That's a reasonable approach, and no good GM would rule out the prospect of trading away his best offensive weapon for a price ... but I suspect we would disagree on what that price should be. Yes, Gesicki will command a high price, but I still believe Don Shula was right when he said you don't let your best players go. The salary cap definitely alters that thinking by quantifying worth in a different way ... but I think Gesicki isn't going to ask for ridiculous money like Jarvis Landry and Olivier Vernon did. If he wants to exceed the TE market by 2M per year, sure, we need to move on from him. But if he wants to be paid at the rate of a current top 5 guy (which will end up being peanuts once the salary cap shoots way up as it's projected to do over the next 3 to 5 years), that's a good deal.
The Patriots are a smart organization. They sell high, and get value. The salary cap is temporarily depressed and great deals abound, so they saved up their money and are splurge-shopping by buying low now. Two years from now when the Salary Cap shoots up by a LOT as it is projected to do ... this will be seen as a very shrewd move. Re-signing a star this year is a blessing, because inflation of the cap means today's money is discounted. Locking them into a 5 year contract at today's money is good business. If Grier can't swing that on a team with tons of kids on rookie contracts ... how is he ever going to manage a dynasty if he is ever lucky enough to build one?
IMHO, we should keep Gesicki locked up tight, extending him during this down-cycle of salaries. Build on this like the Kansas City Chiefs did. Add an elite WR to complement our near-elite TE and watch them both grow into a devastating arsenal for Tua. Then we shore up the run game with a couple more good OL and a bell cow RB who has power ... and we've finally fixed our offense. Then for the next 5 years we can maintain and patch the offense and grow the defense ... giving us a real Super Bowl window if Tua can step it up. Well, that's the plan in my head at least.
Cheers brother. Here's hoping Grier & Co. can pull it off, no matter how they do it. Fins Up!