New England was already home for Hunter Henry. Now he's decided to stay a little longer. Coming into a contract year, the Patriots and the veteran tight end have reportedly agreed to a two-year contract extension that will keep him in Foxborough through the 2028 campaign, per Ian Rapoport.
Henry entered the NFL as the San Diego Chargers' second-round pick (at No. 35 overall) in the 2016 draft out of Arkansas and spent his first five seasons there in SoCal as the franchise moved to L.A. But injuries plagued him during his stint with the Chargers, including a full season lost to a torn ACL in '18, even as he continued to showcase great hands in the passing game, with averages of 49 catches, 580 yards, and 5 touchdowns per season.
In 2021, Henry found his way to New England with a three-year, $37.5 million deal in free agency, and that's where he's stayed, with another three-year extension signed in 2024. As that one crests in 2026, and Henry comes into a contract year, both sides have reached a rare third agreement to keep the tight end away from the open market.
It's easy to see why the Patriots want to keep Henry around. In five seasons with the Patriots, Henry has posted at least 40 catches every year, a franchise mark only bested by Ben Coates. Henry has also been a team captain and an important voice for a young team that's quickly turned things around with head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterback Drake Maye at the helm.
Hunter Henry's new two-year extension makes perfect sense for both sides.
Henry set a career high in 2025 with 768 receiving yards and finished the season third all-time among Patriots tight ends in receptions (259) and fourth in receiving yards (2,973). As a red-zone target, Henry is invaluable to the Patriots already, but he should enjoy even more space to work with after New England imported other attention-worthy weapons like A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs this offseason.
The Patriots don't have much behind Henry at tight end, so he remains a primary target for Maye, but there's hope that third-round rookie Eli Raridon can provide some relief. But no one is shoving Henry out the door anytime soon. A new extension keeps him around for years to come even as the Patriots continue to stock the positional pond as the 31-year-old tight end gets older.
For a Patriots team that rebounded into contender status faster than anyone expected, keeping Henry's steady hands around for an ascending young offense is a good move for all parties involved.
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