New England Patriots tight end and two-time team captain Hunter Henry is no stranger to “doing his job.”
Not only has the the 30-year old found success while exceeding his expectations, he continues to earn respect throughout the NFL universe for playing a position in which the league is perhaps at its richest in talent.
Accordingly, Henry has once again been recognized among the league’s best tight ends, as determined by ESPN. Though the Arkansas product did not earn a spot within the top-10, he was given an honorable mention.
“He’s aging well because speed was never his game but he’s just a good player with sure hands,” an anonymous NFL personnel evaluator told ESPN. “Can get you 600 or so yards every year. Takes care of his body, great in the locker room.”
Having played 16 of 17 games in 2024, Henry finished the season having compiled 674 receiving yards on 66 catches — both of which were career-highs — and two touchdowns. In fact, Henry’s sure hands and on-field savvy made him quarterback Drake Maye’s favorite target.
Still, Henry’s ascent to becoming one of the league’s most-respected tight ends began long before he stepped on the fields in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
At Arkansas, Henry flourished as the Razorbacks’ top tight end. In 2015, he won the John Mackey Award as the best tight end in the nation. He was also a Consensus All-American in the 2015–2016 season.
Henry was then drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round (35th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. As the first tight end chosen that year, he faced the daunting task of joining a positional depth chart which included Bolts’ legend Antonio Gates. Yet, the Arkansas native was determined to make his mark on the team, as well as the franchise. During his time with the Chargers [both in San Diego, and Los Angeles], Henry compiled 196 career receptions, for 2322 yards and 21 touchdowns — once again, rising to the challenge of surpassing the future Hall-of-Famer on the positional depth chart.
Since signing with the Patriots as a free agent in 2021, Henry has quickly become a fan-favorite in New England. Although the Patriots offense has seen far more struggle than success during Henry’s four seasons in Foxboro, he has emerged as one of the their primary scoring targets — compiling 199 catches for 2,205 yards and 21 touchdowns. As such he quickly became a favorite target of former Patriots quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, as well as Maye.
Though questions surrounding his health and durability plagued him during his time with the Chargers, Henry proved to be one of the Patriots most-reliable players, suiting up for 64 of 68 games in three seasons. Henry suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain in Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs 2023, which forced him to miss the only three games of his Patriots tenure to date. He was inactive for the Patriots season-finale against the Buffalo Bills in 2024.
While widely praised for his versatility, Henryis 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.