Tag: Hunter Henry Contract Extension

6 moves Patriots can make to nearly double their cap space in 2023

The Patriots already have serious cap flexibility in 2023, but six moves would ensure they have plenty more.

The New England Patriots enter into February with a little over $34 million in salary cap space for the 2023 season. This number, however, can become much larger as the Patriots have multiple ways to make room for new contracts.

The 2023 free agent class isn’t anything to write home about, but there are some good players who could help fill out some holes on the Patriots’ roster.

According to Miguel Benzan (PatsCap), the Patriots could restructure, cut, trade, or extend players in order to make more room. They did so in 2022, borrowing money from 2023’s cap to make room for moves during the season, which is around $13 million per season for moves (such as NLTBE bonuses, practice squad salaries, replacement of injured players, etc.) and around $4 million for the 2023 draft class.

In this article, I used Over the Cap’s salary cap calculator to work through new deals. So some of the below restructures or extensions aren’t going to be exactly what a player or team decides. We went with what the tool allowed us to do. The Patriots could certainly be aggressive and do more than what’s listed, but these are some of the more realistic options.

Since these options are unlikely to all happen at once, let’s go through some likely scenarios that would bring the Patriots’ cap space up to $60 million for the free agency period.

Chargers TE Hunter Henry not expected to receive contract extension before deadline

The 26-year old will be entering a ‘prove it’ year.

Chargers tight end Hunter Henry does not expect to sign a contract extension before the July 15 deadline.

“I don’t think anything will get done, but we’ll see,” Henry said, per Southern California News Group’s Gilbert Manzano.

Even though Henry is prepared to play on the franchise tag that he signed back in April, he’s not to worried about the lack of contract talks.

“I’m not worried about it,” Henry said. “I’m just going to go out there. I get a chance to play this year and do my thing this year. I’m pretty locked in on what I got ahead of me in the 2020 season. That’s what I’m locked in for, you know, I don’t like to look too far ahead.”

Henry, 26, has been a key focal point in the offense, averaging 12.6 yards per reception and posting 17 touchdowns over the course of four seasons. However, his durability has drawn some concern.

Henry has missed games every year since 2016, missing the entire 2018 regular season due to a knee injury and the first four contests this past season due to a tibial plateau fracture in his left knee.

Henry believes that he still has so much to prove before agreeing to a long-term extension.

“I think that’s the biggest thing I’m focusing on. Just trying to stay healthy,” Henry said. “I’ve just had some unfortunate injuries come my way. I feel the best I’ve felt in probably a couple years, for sure. I’m excited.”

If Henry can still healthy, he is primed for a big season.

Chargers, TE Hunter Henry were ‘getting close’ to contract extension

Tight end Hunter Henry is expected to be a part of the Los Angeles Chargers’ plans beyond the 2020 season.

The Chargers placed the franchise tag on tight end Hunter Henry earlier this month, and will now have until July 15 to reach a long-term deal.

However, that contract extension would have already been in ink. That’s until the coronavirus pandemic took the world by storm.

According to The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, Henry said that he was “getting close” to a multi-year deal with Los Angeles earlier this offseason but that the pandemic “put a delay on everything.”

Henry does not know how close both sides are at the moment, but he remains optimistic that a long-term extension can be reached sooner than later.

From Henry’s comments, we can now justify that he will be in the team’s plans beyond the 2020 season, which should come by no surprise.

Despite being hindered by injuries the past couple of seasons, Henry has been a vital part of the offense.

When he is on the field, he is easily one of the league’s top tight ends. He’s averaging 8.9 yards per target and has 17 touchdowns in 41 games. Along with his impressive skillset as a pass-catcher, Henry has been a proven run-blocker.

After catching passes from Philip Rivers for the past four seasons, Henry will do the same thing, but it will be from Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert moving forward.

Henry expects more play action and more mobility from the quarterback position. The former Arkansas product said he texted Herbert shortly after he was taken as the No. 6 overall selection in last week’s NFL draft.