New England Patriots Rumors: Hunter Henry no longer a tight end savior

The Los Angeles Chargers used the franchise tag on tight end Hunter Henry making it hard for the New England Patriots to acquire him.

With the new NFL league year set to begin pending any delay due to the Coronavirus pandemic, one of the New England Patriots top priorities is upgrading the tight end position either through trade or free agency.

One of those top choices was pending free agent Hunter Henry, who was linked as a player the Patriots may be targeting.  According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, any chance of sighing the top free agent tight end was dashed for all teams eyeing the talented tight end.

As Rapoport reported Friday, the Los Angeles Chargers have placed their franchise tag on Hunter Henry, which means if the Patriots are still interested in acquiring him, they would have to trade for him, which would cost a first- or second-round pick.

With all the possibilities still out there via free agency, trade and the 2020 NFL Draft, there is no way Bill Belichick is trading away a high pick for a tight end when the team has other needs like wide receiver, the offensive line and potentially a quarterback if Tom Brady takes his talents elsewhere.

Coming off a season in which he caught 55 passes for 652 yards with five touchdowns, Hunter Henry would’ve been the type of playmaker to intrigue Brady into finishing his career with the New England Patriots.

Instead, it may actually increase his chances of joining the Chargers.

So, that Tom Brady to Hunter Henry connection is actually still at play, although that being in Hollywood instead of Foxborough.

But, aside from the Brady sweepstakes, the Patriots now must set their eyes on what’s left out there.

For many fans, that target should be free agent Austin Hooper who is coming off a breakout year and looking to cash in.  Given that Henry missed the entire 2018 season due to a torn ACL, Hooper was probably the better choice to target all along in that he may be the type of player to flourish even more in New England.

If not Hooper, there are trade possibilities out there like Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard, NFL prospects Cole Kmet, Adam Trautman and Harrison Bryant, as well as free agent veteran tight ends like Eric Ebron and Jimmy Graham, who was recently released by the Green Bay Packers.

With the production or lack thereof that the Patriots got from the trio of Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo in 2019, any of the names above would be a tremendous upgrade at the position.

Oh, and if there is any remaining dream of Rob Gronkowski coming out of retirement to revive the position, you may only see him wearing a New England Patriots jersey in the middle of a WWE ring.

This tight end situation is sure to get very interesting.