New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry is no stranger to taking on new challenges.
At every level of his gridiron career, the 29-year old has relished the opportunity to exceed his expectations. However, will Henry be making port next season in a new home far from the familiarity of the Gillette Stadium lighthouse?
While Henry and the Patriots have mutual interest in continuing their relationship into 2024 and beyond, the former Arkansas Razorback is expected to test the free-agent market, per a Sunday morning report from MassLive.
“While the Patriots would like to bring Hunter Henry back, the tight end is likely to hit free agency,” the report stated. “The two sides are far apart on an extension.”
Although the Patriots offense has seen far more struggle then success during Henry’s three seasons in New England, he has emerged as one of the their primary scoring targets. Since signing with the Pats as a free agent in March 2021, the former Los Angeles (née San Diego) Charger has compiled 133 catches for 1,531 yards and 17 touchdowns. As such he quickly became a favorite target of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe.
Despite missing the last three games of the season due to a knee injury, Henry made the most of his first turn as a team captain. He led the positional group with 42 catches for 419 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns. While widely praised for his versatility, he is most productive when playing the traditional “Y” role, accentuating his route-running skills, as well as his ability to box out. He has also proven himself a strong blocker and reliable pass catcher.
Though questions surrounding his health and durability plagued him during his Chargers’ tenure, Henry proved to be one of the Patriots most-reliable players, suiting up for 48 of 51 games in three seasons. Henry suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, which forced him to miss New England’s final three games in 2023. He is expected to be fully recovered for the start of NFL training camps.
As MassLive’s report indicates, Henry’s services will not come cheap. However, his affection for both the region and the organization may allow the Pats to negotiate a reasonable deal for him to return. New England’s $100.5 million in available salary cap space, per Patriots cap expert Miguel Benzan, should also allow for robust dialogue between both sides.
With Henry carrying an estimated annual valuation of $6.5 million, per OverTheCap.com, New England clearly has enough financial health to offer him a contract. While the franchise tag number for a tight end is a bit more, palatable for the Pats at $12.7 million (or $10.9 million for a transition tag) the team is far more likely to place it on either offensive lineman Mike Onwenu ($20.9 million) or saftey Kyle Dugger at $17,1 million.
If the Patriots and Henry decide to part ways, New England will remain the market at the position. With only LaMichael Pettway presently under contract for the upcoming season, they are also expected to explore the re-signings of veterans Pharaoh Brown and Mike Gesicki. The Pats may also look for some free agent help from outside the organization.
“A name to watch for the Patriots could be Austin Hooper, who was with the Cleveland Browns 2020-2021, overlapping with [Patriots offensive coordinator Alex] Van Pelt. Harrison Bryant also played for Van Pelt last season.”
Hooper caught 25 passes for 234 yards with Cleveland last season, while Bryant logged 13 receptions for 81 yards and three touchdowns.
The new NFL year is set to begin on March 13 at 4 p.m. ET, following two days of legal tampering starting on March 11.
More must-reads: