Patriots spend big again, agree with tight end Hunter Henry on reported three-year, $37.5M deal

What’s better than one tight end? Two. After a wild first day of free agency for the New England Patriots, in which the team landed big names like tight end Jonnu Smith and pass rusher Matt Judon, Bill Belichick is once again opening up his wallet. According to CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora, the Patriots have agreed to terms with former Chargers tight end Hunter Henry on a three-year contract. The deal is worth $37.5 million and includes $25 million guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, adding to New England’s lucrative foray into 2021 free agency.

The Pats had seemingly already added a new No. 1 TE in Smith on Monday, but Henry could prove to be an even more meaningful addition considering his pass-catching résumé. Belichick, for what it’s worth, has long admired the former Chargers standout, who caught 60 passes for 613 yards and four touchdowns in Los Angeles last season.

“Henry’s really been a great player,” Belichick told reporters leading up to New England’s regular-season matchup with the Chargers. “I’ve watched him pretty much his whole career. He started at Pulaski Academy down in Little Rock, played for Coach (Kevin) Kelly down there. He had a great career there, went to Arkansas and had a great career at Arkansas. Went to the Chargers and with (Virgil) Green out, he’s really played the ‘Y’ role this year and showed good ability to block, catch. He runs a variety of routes. He’s come back off the injury and has been a very, very productive player for them, along with all their other good skill players. But, he’s done a good job for them in a running game, as well as the passing game.”

Now, Belichick will add that weapon to an offense that is seemingly poised to feature two tight ends prominently after spending massive money on Henry and Smith to begin free agency.

Henry, 26, was considered arguably the top TE on the market outside of Smith. A second-round draft pick in 2016, he has battled injuries throughout his career, never playing a full season and appearing in just 12 between 2018-2019, but he’s also been a prolific target when healthy. Henry has posted at least 550 receiving yards in his past three active seasons, peaking with 652 in 2019 despite playing just 12 games, and caught at least four touchdowns in each year as a full-time starter.

Henry’s addition helps to increase the Patriots’ Super Bowl chances by more than 5 times, according to SportsLine’s Stephen Oh. New England’s projected win total has gone from 7.4 to 8.6 in just the past two days, per Oh’s simulations.