Patriots Rumors: Hunter Henry Finalizing 3-Year, $30M Contract Ahead of Free Agency

Veteran tight end Hunter Henry is returning to the New England Patriots in 2024.

Per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport, the sides have agreed to terms on a three-year deal with a max value of $30 million.

The Patriots made an aggressive play for Henry in 2021, signing him to a three-year, $37.5 million contract. He had the highest salary-cap hit for a tight end in 2022 and 2023.

New England handed out a total of $137.5 million guaranteed that offseason after having missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008. While the Pats won 10 games and returned to the postseason, the franchise's spending spree ultimately laid bare Bill Belichick's failings on the personnel side.

Henry wasn't the worst signing Belichick made that offseason, and he proved to be a solid pass-catcher in an inconsistent offense. But the legendary coach clearly misvalued the 2016 second-round pick.

In 48 games with the Patriots, Henry had 133 receptions for 1,531 yards and 17 touchdowns. His 31.9 yards per game were well below the 42.2 he had averaged in five years with the Los Angeles Chargers.

It's worth considering how much New England's offensive issues hampered his production. The unit was a mess in 2022 with Joe Judge and Matt Patricia effectively sharing duties as the offensive coordinator, and things didn't get much better with the hiring of Bill O'Brien in 2023.

When Henry had the benefit of Josh McDaniels and a Pro Bowl-bound Mac Jones in 2021, he caught 50 passes for 603 yards and nine scores.

In December, Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger had the 29-year-old as the second-best tight end on the free-agency board behind Dalton Schultz.

"Henry has served as one of the few consistent and reliable targets for a New England Patriots passing attack that has gone through lengthy droughts since his arrival as a free agent in 2021," he wrote.

"In a weaker free-agent class at tight end, perhaps the high-floor veteran has a few suitors looking to add at a position where a known commodity is a value."

Based on Spielberger's rankings, the top two potential free-agent tight ends are off the board. Schultz agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal to remain with the Houston Texans earlier this week, per Rapaport.

At this point in his career, there's little chance Henry taps into any unearthed potential. But he should be a good secondary option in New England's passing game, though it remains to be seen who is going to be throwing passes for the Patriots next season.