Contract Terms
Tight End Hunter Henry has agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $30 million to remain with the Patriots, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo first reported. Henry's contract includes a base value of $27 million, making for an average annual value of at least $9 million per season.
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Fantasy Football Impact
With their top three players at the position all headed to free agency, NFL.com's Nick Shook reports the Patriots knew they'd need to find at least one answer to their tight end situation and chose their most consistent option at the position in Henry, a veteran who has caught 35 or more passes for at least 400 yards in all but one of his eight seasons.
ESPN.com's Mike Reiss points out that Henry, who turns 30 in December, was on pace to be the Patriots' leading receiver in 2023 before a left knee injury sustained in a Dec. 17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs led him to miss the final three games. He finished with 42 catches for 419 yards and a team-high six touchdown receptions.
Although it was one of the least productive campaigns of his eight-year NFL career, it came during a season in which the Patriots were one of the NFL's worst offenses. They ranked 29th in the league in total passing yardage (3,392 yards), 27th in passing touchdowns (just 16), and 30th in overall scoring.
Before the knee injury, the 6-foot-5, 258-pound Henry had not missed a game since signing his original three-year contract with the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent in March 2021. Henry had spent the first five seasons of his NFL career with the Chargers, and Reiss reminded readers that one of the knocks on him was durability.
Henry ultimately played 75 percent of the offensive snaps. Over his eight-year career, he has played in 103 regular-season games and totaled 329 catches for 3,853 yards with 38 touchdowns.
Forecasting positive outcomes for this offense in the first year under new coach Jerod Mayo and coordinator Alex Van Pelt is a reach. Maybe it will get easier as we gain clarity on their quarterback situation, which could be resolved in free agency but more likely in April's NFL Draft (the Patriots have the third pick overall).
Still, as Shook put it, "the Patriots will need some trustworthy targets as they figure out what to do at quarterback." Henry will be a top candidate for that role -- especially given his history of success in the red zone.
Those drafting in early best balls will find him as TE27 on Underdog and BestBall 10s. It's hard to argue against taking a shot on him at that price, which could rise depending on the outcome of the team's situation under center. Still, banking on consistent week-to-week production in redraft formats is a reach. Henry is a low-end TE2 or streaming option until further notice.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
It seems likely that the other two Patriot tight ends, Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown, will be allowed to test the market. And they might be of interest this year. With Henry, Dalton Schultz, who re-signed with the Texans earlier this week, Jonnu Smith, a newly minted Dolphin, and Zach Ertz, who landed in Washington, all off the market, the remaining free-agent class at the position is thin.
The top remaining prospects include Gerald Everett, Noah Fant, Will Dissly, Adam Trautman, and Gesicki.
As for the Patriots, Henry could be a limiting factor for a wide-receiving corps with much to prove. While second-year man Demario Douglas showed promise as a rookie, the low-octane passing attack in New England makes it difficult to gauge his upside. Others, like JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Tyquan Thornton, and Kendrick Bourne (scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent), have fallen short for various reasons, including injury, inconsistency, and lack of opportunity. Douglas aside, Fantasy managers rolling the dice on any of these players are taking their chances.
Stock Watch
Risers
Fallers
Overview
Tight end Hunter Henry won't be testing the free-agent market after agreeing to a new, three-year deal to remain with the Patriots. Given the number of open questions for the New England offense this year, including who their starting quarterback will be, it's hard to get excited about Henry's prospects. We'll be looking for a resolution, but with a previously underachieving wide-receiving corps, there should be room for Henry to outperform his current TE3 fantasy outlook.