Tag: Hunter Henry

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players

2024 NFL Free agency: The most underrated offensive players (via @NFL_DougFarrar):

When the new league year begins at 4:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 13, the NFL’s legal tampering period will already have gone on for two days, and several top-tier free agents will be off the market… hypothetically, of course.

There are multiple levels to free agency, of course. The big names and best players are generally picked off as quickly as possible, and then, it’s musical chairs for the best of the rest — and this where smart teams will have their eyes on the ideal value guys who can come in without a great deal of fanfare and solidify positions of need.

These are the players we’re choosing to focus on here. These players are not at the top of most free-agent list for the 2024 league year, but make no mistake — they can be key contributors to any team they’re on.

We’ll begin with the most underrated impending free agents on offense.

More details on TE Hunter Henry’s contract released

Breaking down TE Hunter Henry’s new deal with the Patriots

The New England Patriots signed tight end Hunter Henry to a three-year deal on Friday. The contract figures were made available, as reported by the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed.

Henry will receive a $27 million base salary, with a $30 million max value and $16 million fully guaranteed.

Henry has been a consistent presence in the Patriots’ passing game over the last three seasons. He was productive last season, despite inconsistencies in the passing game overall. He tallied 42 catches for 419 yards and six touchdowns.

The touchdowns were his most since the 2021 season, when he joined the Patriots as a free agent.

The Patriots had zero tight ends under contract prior to Henry signing. This move gives them a guaranteed playmaker at a position that has been crucial for the offense over the years.

Report: Patriots finalizing contract extension for TE Hunter Henry

Hunter Henry is staying in New England

The New England Patriots are reportedly finalizing a contract extension for veteran tight end Hunter Henry. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported the news on Friday morning.

Henry led the Patriots in touchdown receptions last season, and he remained a reliable target for the revolving door of quarterbacks Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. He was also named a captain for the first time with the team.

Uncertainty loomed for the Patriots at the tight end position with Henry, Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown all on expiring contracts. There was even more concern after a recent report said the Patriots and Henry were “far apart” in contract talks.

They’ve obviously bridged that gap in short order to keep one of the few offensive playmakers they had in 2023.

Henry turns 30 years old this year, but he still has plenty left in the tank to contribute on offense. The Patriots still need to get younger at the tight end position.

They could look to add to the position in the draft, while having Henry serve in the veteran bridge role.

Report: Patriots and TE Hunter Henry remain ‘far apart’ in contract talks

Hunter Henry is reportedly likely to hit the free agent market

The New England Patriots would like to bring back pending free agent tight end Hunter Henry on a new deal, according to a report from MassLive’s Mark Daniels, Chris Mason and Karen Guregian. However, there seems to be a bit of a gap in extension talks.

The Patriots are working behind the scenes to keep Henry in New England, but according to MassLive’s report, the tight end will likely hit free agency with the two sides still being “far apart” on agreeing to a deal.

MassLive wrote:

While the Patriots would like to bring Hunter Henry back, the tight end is likely to hit free agency. The two sides are far apart on an extension.

Henry has been productive during his time with New England. He caught 133 passes for 1,531 yards and 70 touchdowns in three seasons. He helped revitalize a tight end room that was looking for production prior to his arrival.

His best season with New England came in 2021, when he caught 50 passes for 603 yards and nine touchdowns. He was perhaps the most productive player from the 2021 free agent class that saw New England spend $163 million in guaranteed money.

The Patriots would undoubtedly lose a key producer and former team captain, if Henry walks. Regardless, it’ll be a tough offseason with more than just the tight end position to worry about.

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7 free agent tight ends Giants could target to replace Darren Waller

If Darren Waller opts to retire, here are seven free agent tight ends the New York Giants could target as a replacement option.

One year after acquiring tight end Darren Waller via trade with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants may be forced into replacing him.

Waller told the New York Post on Friday that he’s “still undecided” about his future and could opt to retire.

“I have not made a decision either way,” Waller told the Post.

If Waller does return in 2024, he will be owed a base salary of $10.5 million which accounts for a cap hit of $14 million. If he opts to retire, the Giants will clear $6.2 million in cap space but be left with a dead cap hit of roughly $7.9 million.

Because of Waller’s transparency with the Giants, they have already begun to pour over the names slated to become available in free agency.

With Waller’s future uncertain and a need at the position beyond just 2024, here’s a look at seven free agent tight ends the Giants could consider.

Projected market value for Patriots’ top pending free agents

The Patriots have multiple in-house free agents they might want to re-sign. Here’s what it could cost them.

Big decisions loom on the horizon for the New England Patriots heading into free agency.

They’re sitting pretty right now with roughly over $100 million in available salary cap space, but they are also a team bogged down with various holes and upgrade needs on their roster.

Free agency isn’t just about paying big money to load up on outside talent. It’s also about keeping the talent you already have to ensure some continuity. Not everything was bad with the 4-13 Patriots, and this isn’t a situation where the organization is looking to throw the entire team away.

There were pieces that stood out as potential parts of an eventual solution in New England. and it now falls on Patriots executive Eliot Wolf and the front office to figure out ways to keep those pieces intact.

Today, we’re taking a closer look at the Patriots’ top free agents and their projected market values, according to PFF.com and Spotrac.com.

25 best free agent targets for the Patriots in 2024

Here are the 25 best free agent options for the Patriots

The New England Patriots are expected to be aggressive in free agency this offseason in an effort to fill multiple holes on their roster.

It’s no secret that the onus for the 4-13 finish in 2023 falls predominantly on the offensive struggles. There’s a need to fill at every offensive position for New England, most notably at quarterback, wide receiver and offensive tackle.

However, don’t think for one second that the defense will go ignored. That unit was one of the best in the NFL last season, and it kept the team in games that would have otherwise turned into blowouts.

If the Patriots hope to remain competitive in 2024, they’ll need to continue adding defensive playmakers to keep games close. In no particular order, here are the 25 best potential free agent targets for the Patriots:

7 Tight ends the Vikings should pursue in free agency

Do the Minnesota Vikings sign a tight end to fill in for T.J. Hockenson? From Noah Fant to Hunter Henry, these 7 options are intriguing

The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting position at tight end going into free agency. They theoretically are set with T.J. Hockenson and Josh Oliver as the top two tight ends in the room. However, that is murky for 2024 with the torn ACL suffered on Christmas Eve by Hockenson since he didn’t have surgery to repair the injury until the end of January.

What should the Vikings do at the position? If they plan on redshirting Hockenson, would they end up signing a bridge player to get them through 2024? Do they choose to bring back Johnny Mundt and ride with the three guys in the room?

With how general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has pursued things so far, a bridge tight end makes a lot of sense. Here are seven different tight ends that could fit the bill and be that bridge player.

Browns and tight end Hunter Henry a 2024 NFL free agency fit

The veteran would bring more stability to the tight end room

In 2023, the Cleveland Browns didn’t get much production from the tight end group from guys not named David Njoku. This makes former first rounder Hunter Henry an intriguing fit in 2024 NFL free agency.

Harrison Bryant and Jordan Akins barely had over 200 receiving yards combined behind the chief on the depth chart. The team brought in tight end coach Tommy Rees who has a history of utilizing the position to make it a strength of a team’s passing attack. This likely means an upgrade at the position, and the most cost-effective option to do that on the open market is Henry.

Henry is coming off his least productive season in overall yardage and still had double the production as Bryant and Akins. Over his career, he hasn’t been a superstar but he is a reliable and consistent presence and is an added weapon to a passing game.

You can never have enough proven playmakers on the roster and having another weapon at tight end will help the team be able to attack defenses in more different ways. He isn’t a great run blocker but he gives you more than Bryant gave in that area adding to the overall upgrade.

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Ranking 2024’s top 12 free-agent tight ends

Top tight ends hitting free agency this offseason:

Even after last year’s signing of Hayden Hurst, could the Carolina Panthers be in the market for a new tight end?

If so, here are some of the best that free agency has to offer: