Patriots, who are thin at tight end, can always count on ‘old’ reliable Hunter Henry

FOXBOROUGH — On Friday morning, Patriots tight end Hunter Henry took mock offense to a reporter who suggested he’s on the older side.

Read more Trump says US will investigate EU trade practices, claiming the bloc unfairly fined tech giants

“I feel good, man. I don’t feel older,” the 31-year-old said with a smile.

Henry, who is entering his 11th NFL season, remains the model of consistency. That’s good news for a team thin at tight end. Julian Hill, acquired in free agency, suffered a season-ending knee injury in the spring, and CJ Dippre will start the summer on the physically unable to perform list.

While the Patriots added first-year tight end Mitch Van Vooren and drafted Eli Raridon out of Notre Dame in the third round, the bulk of the work will again fall to Henry, who projects to be the fourth-oldest player on the roster (only Morgan Moses, Mack Hollins, and Kevin Byard are older).

“I feel good,” Henry said. “I feel young, man. I work really hard. The body feels good, so I’m excited for the challenge ahead.”

Henry, one of the final holdovers from the Bill Belichick era, has been a mainstay of the Patriots’ offense since he arrived as a free agent in 2021. He’s never played fewer than 14 games, and has never caught fewer than 41 passes in a season. On Friday, he sounded like someone capable of again reaching those numbers in 2026.

“To be honest with you, if you’re not motivated every year, you’re not going to make in this league long,” he said. “Every year is a new year in this league, and you have to be ready to bring it every year. No matter if you’re Year 1, Year 10.”

For Henry, things will be easier because for one of the first times in his career, he’ll have the same offensive coordinator — Josh McDaniels — in back-to-back seasons. The comfort level is something he’s excited about.

“Pretty nice,” said Henry, who had 60 catches for 768 yards and six touchdowns last year. “It’s kind of crazy to think about that. This is honestly one of my first in the last probably like seven years, even dating back to the Chargers, that I’ve had kind of a carryover.

Read more Revolution trade Brayan Ceballos, the team’s top defender last season, to CF Montreal in cash deal

“Just for me, being in the league awhile, it helps me to see things I did last year and things I can improve on, things I can add, just because I kind of already know what’s coming.”

There’s also the opportunity to work with quarterback Drake Maye.

“Drake’s my guy. Tremendous talent, tremendous guy,” Henry said. “You know, I think he has the same mind-set. I think he’s already learned at a young age that you’ve got to bring it every year. Last year is last year. This year is a new year, and we’re excited to build that from the start. I think he’s excited to build upon what he did.”

Henry is going into the final year of his contract. Both the player and coach Mike Vrabel were reticent to discuss Henry’s situation beyond this season, but the coach sounds like he would love to have Henry in the building as long as possible.

“I love being around Hunter,” said Vrabel. “I mean, I’ve talked about his consistency, his production. Again, we’re not going to go down the road of talking about contracts.

“But the more that I can be around Hunter Henry, the better, because he’s been a great football player. He’s a great leader for us. A very consistent player.”

“This is a place that I’ve grown a lot [with] my family,” Henry said when asked if he’d like an extension. “Growing through the years, the hard years, the good years. So yeah, it’s a place that means a lot to me.

“But I’m just focused on this year. So I’m going to keep reiterating that. But I’m excited for what’s ahead. I’m excited for these next few weeks getting better, trying to improve, and getting ready for Week 1.“

Read more Trump-Thune rift is bubbling over amid stalled election bill