Patriots News: Henry’s Long-Term Future in New England Uncertain After Draft
Hunter Henry had the best statistical season of his career in 2025, and the New England Patriots answered by drafting his eventual replacement.
Henry caught 60 passes for 768 yards and seven touchdowns on 87 targets across all 17 regular-season games, career highs in both yardage and availability. His seven touchdowns were his highest total since 2021 KSTP, and he led the Patriots in touchdown catches while establishing himself as the most reliable target in quarterback Drake Maye’s young arsenal.
Then came the 2026 NFL Draft.
With the 95th overall pick, their first Day 2 selection without a trade, the Patriots selected Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon. The 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end averaged 15.1 yards per catch in 2025 and tested as a 98th-percentile athlete at the combine. Multiple analysts immediately identified him as a future Hunter Henry replacement NFL, a signal the organization appeared comfortable sending.
“Raridon has big hands, a large catch radius, and 4.62 speed to stretch the seams,” Patriots.com’s Evan Lazar wrote. “He has some developing to do after being injured early in his career, but the upside is there.”
The pick does not threaten Henry’s role in 2026. He enters the season as the clear TE1 with Raridon projecting as a developmental piece learning behind him. Adding Raridon while Henry is still a viable starter will allow the Patriots to ease the rookie into the offense RotoWire, according to the team’s own film breakdown.
What the pick does threaten is Henry’s future beyond this season.
His three-year, $27 million contract signed in March 2024 expires after 2026. He carries an $11.75 million cap hit this season and turns 32 in December. The Patriots have given no public indication that they are planning an extension, and the addition of Raridon, universally described as his heir apparent, suggests the front office is already planning for life after Henry.
The Patriots lost veteran backup Austin Hooper in free agency this spring, leaving Julian Hill, C.J. Dippre, and Marshall Lang behind Henry on the depth chart. Raridon becomes the fifth tight end on the roster but the only one with the profile of a long-term starter.
Henry, for his part, had the best season of his Patriots tenure at the right time. He and Maye developed into one of the more reliable passer-to-tight-end combinations in the AFC, connecting repeatedly on intermediate and red zone routes. Henry caught nine of 15 targets for 112 yards and a score across New England’s four postseason games, including a touchdown in the Wild Card win over the Los Angeles Chargers — his first playoff score as a Patriot.
The Patriots named Henry their 2025 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award nominee Sports Illustrated, a recognition that reflects his standing in the locker room as much as the stat sheet.
Whether that standing translates into a contract extension will be the central question of his 2026 season. The Patriots now have the luxury of watching both Henry and Raridon develop simultaneously, with no pressure to rush the younger player into a featured role. For Henry, that calculus works in his favor this year. What happens next remains an open question.