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It’s the end of the road for Hunter Henry in Los Angeles. After the Chargers declined to use the franchise tag on him last week, the Patriots are now signing Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million deal, including $25 million guaranteed.
The move comes a day after New England also signed former Titans tight end Jonnu Smith to a four-year, $50 million deal with $31.5 million guaranteed.
And New England strikes again: The Patriots are signing former Chargers' TE Hunter Henry to a three-year, $37.5 million deal, including $25 million guaranteed, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 16, 2021
Free agency's top two tight ends, Henry and Jonnu Smith, wind up in New England.
Henry spent the last five seasons with the Chargers after the team selected him in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft. He was viewed as the heir-apparent to Antonio Gates as the next great Chargers tight end, but in a year with a shrinking cap, the Bolts were forced to make a tough decision.
As of this moment, Donald Parham is the only tight end on the roster for the Chargers. There are still free agent options out there for the Bolts to consider bringing in like Gerald Everett (Brandon Staley connection), or they could select a prospect like Penn State’s Pat Freiermuth at the top of the second with the 47th-overall pick.
While it’s not the best year to acquire a bonafide TE1, the Bolts have options. Either way, this also helps clear up the potential draft strategy heading into April.