The New England Patriots are picking up the pieces from their Super Bowl loss to the Seattle Seahawks and are now turning their attention to the 2026 season. As part of their offseason preparations, they need to identify what went wrong in Sunday’s game, and one of the scapegoats could be tight end Hunter Henry.
Henry started the playoffs strong, catching three passes for 64 yards and a touchdown in a wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers. But as the playoffs continued, Henry disappeared like Homer Simpson into the bushes, catching just six passes for 50 total yards in the final three games.
After turning 31 last December, Henry’s disappearing act in the playoffs is concerning and came at the wrong time, as David Njoku announced on Monday that he is leaving the Cleveland Browns after nine seasons.
With Njoku available, he’ll be a target for any team searching for a tight end, and the Patriots should be interested in adding the veteran for the 2026 season.
Mike Vrabel’s Connections Could Lead David Njoku to Patriots
Getting rid of Henry seems like a bad idea when you evaluate his entire 2025 season. Henry posted a new career-high, recording 768 receiving yards, to go along with his seven receiving touchdowns, his highest mark since his first year in New England in 2021. But the Patriots could also save $9.25 million against the salary cap with a pre-June 1 release and could use that money to find a more effective replacement.
If you look at the stats, Njoku would require some selling to the fan base. He had just 33 catches for 293 yards and four touchdowns with the Browns last season, but that was also part of a passing attack that featured Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders getting turns at quarterback. Two years ago, Njoku made his first Pro Bowl, catching 81 passes for 882 yards and six touchdowns.
It’s also notable that Njoku worked with Mike Vrabel ahead of the 2024 season, as he was an offensive consultant with the Browns. Vrabel’s experience in Cleveland later led to his hiring as Patriots head coach and now has him in the captain’s seat for a potential reunion with Njoku.
Njoku isn’t that much younger than Henry, as he’ll turn 30 in July. But even if the Patriots have faith in Henry, his playoff performance may create some questions about his future. For a team that now has higher expectations after a Super Bowl run, the Patriots must consider all avenues to improve, and Njoku should be on the radar.