Hunter Henry is an important part of the New England Patriots' offense and has been since he initially joined the team in 2021. He was one of Mac Jones' favorite weapons during his time in New England, and the same could be said for Drake Maye (last season, Henry had one of the best seasons of his career: 60 receptions, 768 yards, and a team-leading seven touchdowns in 17 games, and he played a huge role in the quarterback's MVP-caliber season).
However, Henry is entering the final year of his contract and is turning 32 years old in December. Especially in Josh McDaniels' system, having a reliable receiving tight end like Henry is valuable for the Patriots. But given his age and the fact that New England has Eli Raridon in the wings (who has looked incredible in training camp), the team needs to decide whether it makes sense to extend the Arkansas native or just let him play out the final year and hope to re-sign him next offseason.
The Patriots should extend Hunter Henry for the short-term
Henry is in a weird spot where he obviously still brings a lot to the table and may be getting even better, but his long-term outlook is bleak because of his age. He had one of the best years of his NFL career last year, but it could be any moment that he looks like a shell of his prime self.
New England has a decision to make, and while there are pros and cons to whatever it ends up deciding on Henry, the safest bet is to sign him to a new deal as soon as possible... as long as it's a short-term deal.
At this point, the Patriots should take it year-to-year with Henry. Committing to him for the long run doesn't make much sense because of his age, but it's clear that he still provides value on and off the field and has been a big part of Maye's development. Having him around, even once he eventually loses his value, is better than potentially moving on from him too early.
Maybe in two or three years or so, Henry won't be New England's top tight end anymore. If that happens, then the team can pivot from there. But the soon-to-be 11-year pro has earned the right to finish his best years in New England, and the team should absolutely oblige.
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