Patriots’ Hunter Henry Is Reaching Milestones In Ninth NFL Season

Three games are left for the New England Patriots. Expect Hunter Henry to make them count.

The veteran tight end stands with 635 receiving yards on the regular season. At age 30, he also stands just 18 away from resetting his career high from 2019 with the Los Angeles Chargers. The next chance to get there will arrive at Highmark Stadium.

Sunday’s flexed kickoff against the Buffalo Bills is set for 4:25 p.m. ET.

“Obviously we play these guys two of the last three weeks. It’s a divisional game,” Henry told reporters of the AFC East champions during his Wednesday press conference. “You’re going on the road. I mean, this is an awesome environment. Buffalo is a cool place to play. Tremendously talented football team. I mean, obviously they’re playing great this year. It’s a tough challenge, so you’ve got to be excited for the challenge.”

Every game has been a challenge for a 3-11 team. But the captain at tight end has continued to be an answer from September into December. Last week, Henry brought himself to 62 catches on the year, eclipsing a mark that remained since his final tour with the organization that drafted him.

“Yeah, it’s always good to achieve a milestone,” the 6-foot-5, 249-pound Henry said. “It was a while ago, I feel like, that I had that. I feel like that was like my fourth or fifth year. So, yeah, it’s always good to have a new milestone. It’s something to chase after for next year, too. Hopefully I can keep stacking and stack it a little higher so I’ll have even more to achieve.”

The former John Mackey Award winner entered the NFL in the second round at pick No. 35 overall back in 2016. And as free agency opened in 2021, he made his way from Los Angeles to Foxborough on a three-year, $37.5 million contract. A three-year, $27 million extension kept him there prior to the start of legal tampering around the league last March.

Henry’s run with the Patriots has featured 2,166 yards and 18 touchdowns through the air. Through 62 games, he has amassed 195 catches. Only four tight ends in franchise history accumulated more during their tenures. After recently surpassing the 184 put forth by Ben Watson, only Russ Francis’ 207, Marv Cook’s 210, Ben Coates’ 490 and Rob Gronkowski’s 521 lie ahead at the position, per Stathead.com.

The University of Arkansas product hasn’t been held out of the stat sheet for 17 consecutive appearances dating back to last winter.

“I take a lot of pride in just trying to be consistent,” added Henry. “Go out there and be the same guy week in and week out, be available and make plays for this team when I can. Obviously those guys did it for a long time and were very successful. Guys that I’ve watched and had a lot of success. So, it means a lot just to be mentioned in those names because those are all great players.”

Henry caught nine touchdowns during his first season with New England. And while his last visit to the end zone came in October during rookie quarterback Drake Maye’s first NFL start, he leads the passing game in targets, receptions, receiving yards and first downs.