Why Hunter Henry wanted to stay with the Patriots

Hunter Henry walked toward the podium in front of the media tent with a smile on his face Monday afternoon.

There was plenty for the veteran tight end to be happy about.

Just hours earlier, Henry, who was entering the final year of his contract, had agreed to a two-year, $16 million extension with the Patriots worth up to $20 million, with $14.5 million guaranteed and a $4.2 million signing bonus.

“It means a lot, man. This place means a lot to me and my wife. Just the organization as a whole, man. The Kraft family has taken me in. They’ve been so good to me and my family. Giving me a chance, kind of in the middle of my career, to come over here. We have just appreciated it the whole time. We really have,” Henry said.

“We’ve enjoyed the area. Enjoyed this fan base. Just really appreciated things a lot. It’s just a blessing. It really is. It’s a true blessing to be able to do this 11 years — coming up, this is my 11th year, and then some more years to go; I’m excited. Excited to be part of this team. I feel like we have a really good football team too, and excited to be a piece of that.”

After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Chargers, Henry signed with the Patriots as a free agent in 2021. Over his five seasons in New England, he’s caught 259 passes for 2,973 yards and 26 touchdowns. His 26 touchdowns rank fourth in the NFL over that span, trailing only George Kittle (38), Mark Andrews (37) and Travis Kelce (35).

The 31-year-old has recorded at least 40 catches in each of his five seasons with the Patriots, the second-longest streak by a Patriots tight end behind only Ben Coates, who did so in six consecutive seasons. Henry ranks third on the franchise’s all-time list for receptions by a tight end, trailing only Rob Gronkowski and Coates, while ranking fourth in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

“To come in and kind of, I feel like, get things going in the right direction in my first year and go to the playoffs. Obviously, it didn’t end like we wanted to, but just felt like we were going in the right direction, and then we obviously hit a lull there for a few years and just weren’t able to kind of get on track, get things going,” said Henry. “And to kind of build and build and build and to get to where we got to last year and then continue to try to build to this year, it’s been a lot of fun to be part of that process, to be kind of a piece of that. It’s just like I said; it’s a true blessing to be part of it.”

Henry has provided remarkable consistency despite playing under three different head coaches in New England (Bill Belichick, Jerod Mayo and Mike Vrabel), four different offensive coordinators (Josh McDaniels, Bill O’Brien, Matt Patricia and Alex Van Pelt) and catching passes from five different starting quarterbacks (Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Brian Hoyer, Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye).

Last season, his first full season with Maye under center and the first time since his first year in New England that the same quarterback started every game, Henry set a career high with 768 receiving yards and reached 60 receptions for the second consecutive season. He finished second on the team in receiving yards, targets (87) and receptions (60), while leading the Patriots with seven receiving touchdowns.

That continued connection with Maye also played a role in Henry’s decision to remain in New England.

“That definitely helped. Drake is a good friend of mine and obviously a great quarterback. Just excited to build with him,” Henry said. “That’s my guy. Just a special person. We’ve grown really close over the last few years, and I’m excited to kind of build that relationship off the field but also on the field. He’s just a special player to be around.”

Henry’s impact in New England has extended well beyond his production on the field. He has served as a team captain in each of the last three seasons and established himself as one of the most respected voices in the Patriots’ locker room.

“His leadership has been pretty great for us,” fellow captain Marcus Jones said.