It seemed like Hunter Henry was firmly on the Patriots' radar as a free agent going into last week, but then something happened that made Henry wonder if he was going to be their plans after all.
They signed Jonnu Smith.
Just minutes into the legal tampering period Monday, it was reported the Patriots had agreed to a deal with one of the other best tight ends in the league, so naturally Henry didn't think he would be coming to New England.
“I was a little surprised, but I was honestly really excited that [the team] came back," he said via video conference Monday. "It was very exciting and I didn’t know initially and for it to all come back, I was excited to join.”
Henry was able to meet Smith at Gillette Stadium last week and he's looking forward to teaming up with him on the field.
“It’s going to be awesome," he said. "I feel like we complement each other well. I feel like we’re going to compete. I got to meet him last week, so I will continue to build that relationship and I am excited just to see it show off on the field.”
Over the last two seasons, the two players have combined for 20 touchdowns. They will be looking to reestablish the dominance at the tight end position that was a fixture with the Patriots offense for so many years.
“Obviously, the Patriots, long history of tight ends," Henry said. "Obviously, have watched it from afar. Admired it. I kind of feel like they put the tight end on the map again. Obviously, so many tight ends in their history that have been so great. Just a rich history of it and how they use the tight ends, how the offense uses tight ends, is really, really exciting.
I am pumped to be able to get into the system, learn it, and see how I can adapt my game to it and everything that goes with it — with Jonnu, everything. I am fired up about it and very excited.”
