The Patriots clearly valued tight end Hunter Henry, who has been a security blanket for quarterback Drake Maye. Eric Canha / Imagn ImagesAug. 10, 2026 10:17 am EDT Updated Without much proven depth at the position, the New England Patriots signed tight end Hunter Henry to a contract extension that will tie the veteran leader to the team through the 2028 season.The deal pays Henry $16 million over two years and secures an important player in the Patriots’ offense who has managed to produce through several offensive schemes and quarterback changes.It’s also an important roster-building move considering the top two tight ends behind Henry on the depth chart are rookies — third-round pick Eli Raridon and undrafted free agent Tanner Arkin — and that tight end tends to be a position that takes time for young players to develop. Now, the Patriots can keep Henry, who has been a security blanket for quarterback Drake Maye in key situations, while giving Raridon time to build his game before ideally becoming the team’s top tight end in a couple of years.Patriots risers and fallersChad GraffHenry came to the Patriots as part of their 2021 free-agent spending spree and is the lone holdover from that group. Now, he has signed his third contract with New England.That’s largely because of the way Henry has been able to produce even through some dysfunctional years. In the disastrous 2024 season, Henry still posted 674 receiving yards. Last season with Maye at quarterback, Henry had 768 yards and seven touchdowns.Henry will turn 32 in December, but so far he hasn’t shown any signs of regression.Still, while this extension is meaningful, it’s not the massive one the Patriots are working toward.The Patriots continue to negotiate with star cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Owner Robert Kraft said on the first day of training camp that the Pats already have an offer out to Gonzalez that would make him the highest-paid player in franchise history and the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.Gonzalez has been participating in training camp and has been incredible so far, often going against (and getting the better of) wide receiver A.J. Brown. The feeling is that a deal will get done between the two sides before the Sept. 9 opener, but that is the big contract extension that has eluded the Patriots to this point.