The New England Patriots’ 2021 free agency class was one for the ages, but five years later only one of the high-profile signings remains with the team. And for good reason: Hunter Henry has been a model citizen since coming to Foxborough (and before that as well), and will go down as one of the better tight ends in franchise history.
Heading into his sixth season with the Patriots, there is nothing to suggest that he won’t again be an imporant piece of the club’s offensive puzzle.
Hard facts
Name: Hunter Henry
Position: Tight end
Jersey number: 85
Opening day age: 31 (12/7/1994)
Measurements: 6’4 7/8”, 249 lbs, 9 1/4” hand size, 32 3/4” arm length, 78” wingspan, 4.68s 40-yard dash, 7.16s 3-cone drill, 4.41 short shuttle, 31 1/2” vertical jump, 9’5” broad jump, 13 bench press reps, 6.28 Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers (2016-20), New England Patriots (2021-) | College: Arkansas (2013-15)
Henry drew considerable interest as a four-star college recruit out of Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, AR, but he decided to stay in his home state and joined the University of Arkansas in 2013. He was named All-SEC in all three of his seasons as a Razorback (first team 2014, 2015; second team 2013) and also was named an unanimous All-American as well as the winner of the. John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end in 2015.
After catching a combined 116 passes for 1,661 yards and nine touchdowns his first three seasons, Henry decided to forgo his final year of eligibility to enter the NFL. He was a highly-regarded prospect and ended up as the first tight end off the board: the Chargers brought him to San Diego as the 35th overall selection in 2016.
Henry made an impact on the Chargers offense from his rookie season on, and together with veteran Antonio Gates formed one of the league’s better tight end duos during his first two seasons with the organization. While a torn ACL limited him to just one game in 2018 — a divisional playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Patriots — he still managed to appear in 56 games with 50 starts during his five-year career in San Diego and Los Angeles.
After receiving the franchise tag in 2020, however, he left the organization the following spring: the Patriots signed him to a three-year, $37.5 million free agency pact, and he quickly picked up where he left off. Setting a new career high in touchdowns (9), he was one of quarterback Mac Jones’ favorite targets and therefore instrumental to New England qualifying for the postseason.
The next few years were more challenging from a team success perspective, but Henry nonetheless was one of the top performers and most reliable players on New England’s roster — a status that did not change with the arrivals of new starting QB Drake Maye in 2024 and head coach Mike Vrabel in 2025. As a consequence, Henry has now played 86 games with 72 starts for the club and been on the receiving end of 269 total passes for 3,115 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Scouting report
Strengths: Standing at 6-foot-5, 249 pounds, Henry has the size and length NFL teams are looking for in an inline/Y-tight end. He uses his size and naturally soft hands to haul in passes at a high rate and make receptions outside of his frame or in a contested manner. He readjusts his body well in the air, and has a good feel for not committing too early to incoming plays. In general, his football IQ is immense and he is able to find soft spots in zone defense or maneuver through traffic effectively; he also knows how to stay alive on scramble drills.
Henry also is a very good route runner, especially in the short and intermediate parts of the field. He moves efficiently without any wasted lower-body movement and quickly gets into his patterns. He also possesses the short-area quickness to make hard cuts and shake defenders in man-to-man coverage. A quarterback’s best friend, he has handled a volume role well as a receiver and also has been competitive as a blocker on the edge; he identifies his targets well and knows how to position himself to maximize his chances of coming away victoriously.
In addition, leadership has been a key part of Henry’s presence ever since he arrived in New England. The 2025 season was his third being voted a captain by his peers, and his teammates regularly praise him for his demeanor on and off the field.
Weaknesses: Henry is a crafty blocker more so than a talented one. He carries out his assignments but is not a game-changer at the point of attack; he lacks the core strength and leg drive to consistently free up the edge in the run game and can get mispositioned against speed and power. In general, his consistency has been on and off since joining the Patriots: especially late in seasons, there has been a drop-off in his ability to maintain his typical high level of play.
As a receiver, Henry lacks the explosiveness to be a consistent deep threat. He also won’t break many tackles, despite overall being a solid if unspectacular run-after-the-catch producer.
2025 review
Stats: 21 games (21 starts) | 1,067 offensive snaps (78.6%), 11 special teams snaps (2.0%) | 98 targets, 69 catches (70.4%), 880 receiving yards (12.8/catch), 8 TDs, 6 drops | 4 QB pressures surrendered (2 sacks, 2 hurries) | 3 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offsetting)
Season recap: Even though the Patriots offense as a whole struggled in 2024, Henry produced a career year in terms of catches (66) and receiving yards (674). Naturally, there was plenty of optimism when the team under new head coach Mike Vrabel hired Josh McDaniels to call the offense: Henry had looked good during their lone season together, and there was little to suggest that their second go-around would be any different.
And indeed, it was not. Henry was once again one of New England’s top performers on the offensive side of the ball and a safety blanket for quarterback Drake Maye. As a consequence, he was on the field for more than three quarters of offensive snaps, ranking first among the Patriots’ skill position players. He also managed to set new career marks in games against the Steelers and Bengals.
The first contest saw him tie his personal best with eight catches and two touchdowns, while the latter ended with him reeling in seven passes for a career-high 115 yards as well as another score.
All in all, Henry was once again a pivotal part of the Patriots’ offensive operation. He finished the season ranked second on the team in targets (98), receptions (69) and receiving yards (880) — all eclipsing his 2024 numbers — while ranking first in touchdowns (7).
One of those TDs came during New England’s wild card playoff win over his former team, the Chargers.
The base-line statistics tell only part of the story, though. Henry’s season was much more nuanced than “career high after career high” en route to his first Super Bowl appearance. While, yes, he also posted his best yards after the catch (5.4) and yards per route run (1.54) since joining the Patriots, and moved the chains on half of his 32 third- and fourth-down targets, he also dropped a career worst six passes and was uneven as a run blocker.
In general, he was again not able to sustain what had been a strong start to the season. In the postseason especially, he failed to elevate his game against the top defenses the Patriots faced. While solid in that aforementioned game against the Chargers, he only had six receptions for 48 yards in the final three playoff games combined.
So, was Henry’s 2025 season a success or failure? In some respects probably both, but the positives far outweighed the negatives: he was still Ol’ Reliable for Drake Maye and the Patriots at the tight end position.
2026 preview
Position: Y-tight end | Ability: Quality starter | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 UFA)
What will be his role? Henry’s role has not changed since joining the Patriots in 2021, and 2026 will not be any different. Even with rookies Eli Raridon and Tanner Arkin flashing in training camp, he remains the undisputed top tight end on the roster. This means that he will again play a majority of offensive snaps every week and be regularly targeted in the passing game, all while also likely being named a captain again.
What is his growth potential? Even though he showed some statistical improvement in 2025, Henry is on the back nine of his career — which is only natural entering his age-32 season and with 142 career games under his belt. That being said, the Patriots are being mindful of not overworking him and a different approach in that regard might help him sustain his very high level heading into a contract year.
Does he have positional versatility? At this stage in his career, Henry is mostly a receiving tight end. This, in turn, limits his versatility. That said, he can still line up in different positions in the offense and produce at an adequate level.
What is his salary cap situation? Entering the final season of the three-year, $27 million extension he signed with the Patriots in 2024, Henry is carrying a salary cap number of $11.75 million — the seventh-highest on the team right now. It consists of a $7.15 million base salary, $2.5 million signing bonus proration, $1 million in likely to be earned roster bonuses plus another $750,000 in LTBE contract incentives, as well as a $350,000 workout bonus. Only the signing bonus proration is fully guaranteed.
How safe is his roster spot? While his age, contract status and low guarantees might put Henry in the conversation for surprise roster cuts this summer, his spot on the team is set in stone. He is New England’s only truly-proven tight end and even on the wrong side of 30 continues to produce while playing a high volume of snaps. Anything but Henry making the team as the No. 1 tight end would be a shocker.
Summary: His future beyond 2026 is uncertain, but the upcoming season is likely to be more of the same for Henry. That is obviously not a bad thing given that he has earned Drake Maye’s trust and is one of the quarterback’s favorite targets regardless of down and distance.
What do you think about Hunter Henry heading into the 2026 season? How much longer will he remain the Patriots’ TE1? And will he be one of Drake Maye’s favorite targets yet again? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
