Hall of Famer Says Henry Can Top 2,000 Yards Again
Barry Sanders believes the last NFL player to rush for 2,000 yards in a season has a chance to become the first to do so twice. Or even three times.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer made it clear during an appearance on the Jim Rome Show on Tuesday that he does not think Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry peaked when he rushed for 2,027 yards this season.
“He very well could be a guy, the first guy to eclipse 2,000 yards twice in a career,” Sanders said. “Or I’ll say more than once because he’s definitely in his prime. So, hopefully they will give him the ball.”
Henry became the eighth player in NFL history to reach the milestone. He did it in his fifth NFL season, and his total ranks fifth in NFL history.
Sanders is fourth with 2,053 yards in 1997, his ninth year in the league. He only played one more season – and rushed for 1,491 yards – before he retired suddenly. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Sanders shared the NFL’s Most Valuable Player that year with Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre in his 2,000-yard season, and he believes that at a time when the passing game is more prominent than ever Henry is as valuable to the Titans as any current quarterback.
“(Henry) has been the most dominant player outside of Patrick Mahomes and, maybe, Aaron Rodgers,” Sanders said. “… He put it on display again this year by going over 2,000 yards.
“… I think he certainly deserves more respect. I think he certainly should be right up there with Aaron Rodgers and [players] who win MVP. And he certainly should receive quarterback money. He’s been that kind of player the last few years. So, he should be compensated for it.”
Henry, of course, signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension last offseason, which locks him up in Tennessee through 2023. That deal included a $12 million signing bonus and $25.5 million in guarantees (source: OverTheCap.com).
A couple months later, Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million deal that included a $10 million signing bonus and more than $63 million is fully guaranteed.
“You look how (Henry) has carried his team into the playoffs the last couple of years,” Sanders said. “I feel like they should have given him the ball 40 times this year against the Ravens. That’s another story.
“… The point is: The guy is right up there with the best in the league and he’s going to be great for many more years to come.”
