4 Patriots free agents who should absolutely be back in 2024

Hunter Henry

Like Kendrick Bourne and the wide receivers, the Patriots have zero tight ends signed for the 2024 season, meaning re-signing Hunter Henry is an absolute must.

Finding the right pair of tight ends has proven to be more of a task for New England than anticipated, but they did find the right guy to be the TE1 in Henry. He is considered the top player available at the position this offseason, and because he has been consistently productive since signing with the team three years ago, it would not be very smart to let him go.

Even though it's a position of need that should be addressed in the upcoming draft, it's unlikely Mayo will even look for a tight end until the fourth round at the earliest, as a quarterback, tackle, and wide receiver will almost definitely be the top picks. That only strengthens the need to keep Henry around, a proven red zone weapon and a sufficient blocker when the offense needs it.

Now that the concern about him following Bill Belichick to his new team appears out of the question, since the former Patriots head coach will not be on any sideline in 2024, Henry should be more available than initially presumed.

Maybe his contract isn't the most desirable, but that can be reworked to his benefit and the team's, which is even more crucial since the rest of the free agent tight ends don't appear to be an upgrade over Henry at all.