Hunter Henry Deserves Every Bit of Patriots' Success

Five offseasons ago, Hunter Henry left California to sign a free agent contract with the New England Patriots. As part of that year's major free agent spending class, he was expected to be one of the offensive focal points of the new-look Patriots.

In his first four seasons with the team, the Patriots struggled. Henry was one of the consistent bright spots statistically, but it wasn't amounting to wins. From 2021 to 2024, New England fans saw just 26 combined victories.

Now fast forward to present day, and Henry -- who's in the midst of his best career season -- is one win away from taking home a Super Bowl title. It's been a long five seasons for the Patriots captain, but it all came together for him on the field when the team took home the Lamar Hunt Trophy.

"Just a bunch of brothers coming together, that's really all I can say about it, man," Henry told Fox Sports after the Patriots' 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos in last week's AFC championship. "And we love playing, playing together. We love coming out here, competing. It's just a lot of fun to go to work every single day with these guys. And we got a lot of talent, a lot of guys that have stepped up to the plate, made big plays. It's just a blessing."

Hunter Henry Deserves Your Praise

Henry didn't have the best showing in the title game (just two catches for 12 yards). Instead, just take a look at the numbers he put together through the regular season and first two playoff games: (19 games, 64 receptions, 837 yards, eight touchdowns). Part of that was because of his quarterback, Drake Maye, who's continuing to play at an MVP level -- "he's that guy," Henry remarked.

But Henry could have left.

His contract was up following the 2023 season. He had just come off of a 4-13 season where Bill Belichick, the head coach he signed up to play for two years prior, was just let go. In comes Jerod Mayo, a former Patriots linebacker who Henry never played for.

Jan 11, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC Wild Card Round game at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

That didn't deter him from signing a three-year contract worth up to $30 million that March. Instead, he willingly remained in New England -- despite a coaching change and struggles from the position tasked with throwing him the football.

So he kept at it. He earned the captain's patch for yet another year. And then like clockwork, Mayo was fired.

There's where Mike Vrabel comes in, hiring offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in the process. Henry played with him in 2021 before he left to take the Raiders head coaching job that following offseason.

The Patriots completely flipped. 4-13 turned into 14-3, and three postseason victories. Henry has cemented himself as the fourth-best tight end in franchise history (or third-best, depending on where you have Russ Francis from the mid-1980s ranked on your list).

Just a few seasons ago, Henry was a foundational piece on one of the worst teams in the NFL. Now, he's heading to Super Bowl LX.

"It took on everybody that suited up for everybody," Henry said. "Gosh. What a day, what a day. Just get gritty and a lot of guys fighting."

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