Over the past couple of seasons, tight end Hunter Henry has made himself an incredibly valuable veteran presence on the offense. Now, the New England Patriots are honoring that with a contract extension.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that the Patriots and Henry agreed to a two-year contract extension. It’s worth $16 million, and could be worth up to $20 million. Of that, $14.5 million is guaranteed and $4.2 million is coming in the form of a signing bonus.
Notably, at 31 years old, Rapoport noted that this extension makes it likely that Henry finishes his career with the Patriots.
Henry began his career with the San Diego Chargers as a second-round pick in 2016. Ahead of the 2021 season, he signed with the Patriots on what was initially a three-year, $37.5 million contract. That was the end of the Bill Belichick era with Mac Jones at quarterback. In March of 2024, he signed a contract extension for three more years with the Patriots, and it’s that contract that he was going to be entering the final year of his deal on in 2026.
In 2025, Henry had 60 receptions for a career-high 768 yards. He’d also add 7 touchdowns as one of quarterback Drake Maye’s favorite targets. In New England’s playoff run, he added another 9 touchdowns for 112 yards and a touchdown.
The New England Patriots are Confident in the Tight End Room
GettyNew England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry
A major takeaway from the Hunter Henry contract extension is that the New England Patriots should be secure in their tight end room for the foreseeable future.
Henry offers the Patriots a veteran tight end who Drake Maye loves throwing to. It’s no mistake that even on the wrong side of 30, Henry is coming off one of the most productive seasons of his career.
There is going to be some expectation that Henry begins to regress. Tight end is a physical position, and it’s difficult to maintain the level of health needed to play at the highest level. Still, even if he does struggle with that, his leadership can help the Patriots to develop their next generation at the position, which is hopefully going to be Eli Raridon.
A third-round pick out of Notre Dame, Raridon had some injury issues in college that cost him both playing time and draft stock. Still, he’s regarded as a high-upside option, particularly as a pass catcher. He’s also been getting rave reviews at Patriots Training Camp, in particular as he adjusts to the speed of the game at the NFL level.
Then, now overlooked is Julian Hill. A new signing this offseason, he won’t play in 2026 due to injuries. However, with a three-year deal, the Patriots know they’ll have their blocking tight end back at some point in the future.
All of that amounts to a deep tight end room that’s built to succeed in the next few seasons.
Patriots TE Hunter Henry on QB Drake Maye
GettyDrake Maye and Hunter Henry after the AFC Championship Game
Earlier in the offseason, Hunter Henry was asked about what he’s seen from Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. In particular, how he’s developing. It turned out that the thing he’s most excited for is for Maye to have had time to master the offensive system.
“There’s not enough good things I could say about Drake… The underrated thing that he has this year is going into year two in this system… It was kinda just learning as we go throughout a whole season, and you saw the product that he put out there,” Henry said.
“So, to have a whole offseason to be in the same scheme and really build on what he did last year, I’m excited to kinda see the jump and see the progress he can make on a day-to-day basis.”
Being in the second year of an offensive system is a luxury most Patriots quarterbacks haven’t had in recent seasons. Hopefully, Maye takes advantage of it.
Patriots Extend TE Hunter Henry: What it Means for New England?