It's been quite the journey for New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry, who signed with the team in 2021. When Henry joined the Patriots, Bill Belichick was still the head coach and the team was just a few years into the post-Tom Brady era.
Fast forward to present day and Henry is in his fifth year in New England, making him one of the longest-tenured players on the team. He's lived through the end of the Belichick era, the short-lived Jerod Mayo era, and now the Mike Vrabel era, which in just one year has ended with a Super Bowl appearance.
Henry was asked by the media this week what it was about Vrabel that helped get this team to the Super Bowl.
"I think connectivity, togetherness, and then just an identity ... a common identity that we all know, we understand, the standard, and you can't ask for more. Everybody knows what you got to do from the youngest guy on the team to the oldest guy on the team, and it really kind of brings you together as a team," Hunter said. "Everybody just enjoys being around each other. From different positions to different sides of the ball, everybody kind of rides off that."
Hunter Henry just said the one thing that should terrify the NFL
Henry was originally drafted by the Chargers in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft and spent five years with that organization before joining the Patriots as a free agent. He had two head coaches during his time with the Chargers and then has had three different ones during his five years in New England, so Henry definitely knows how important having the right head coach is.
The back half of Henry's quote was asked about the locker room and how close this group is. It's really a testament to Vrabel and his coaching style, and it's obvious that this franchise is in good hands at the head coaching spot for the foreseeable future.
That's absolute nightmare fuel for the rest of the league, as they were hoping this team would be struggling for a lot longer than just five years.