Derrick Henry is already a lock for the NFL Hall of Fame at 31 years old, and he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down yet.
After leaving the Tennessee Titans in free agency and signing with the Baltimore Ravens last spring, Henry had the 2nd best rushing year of his career. It was so good, that he nearly became the first player in league history to surpass the 2,000 rushing yard mark twice. He fell just short, hanging 1,921 yards on the ground for 16 rushing touchdowns. Stack on top of that 192 yards and 2 TDs as a receiver, and you have a season nobody else besides Saquon Barkley came close to touching. His first year as a Raven was a roaring success.
Titans fans have spent the season with mixed emotions, adjusting to seeing the face of their franchise for the past half-decade in a different uniform. And it’s not just any uniform: It’s the uniform of a team most Titans fans have been taught to despise. But seeing his continued success, still defying physics and Father Time every Sunday at the ripe old age of 31 has been impossible not to enjoy for true fans of his, despite the team rivalry.
What’s Next For The King?
On the red carpet at the NFL Honors before Super Bowl LIX, Henry spoke with The Athletic’s Diana Russini about his future.
The 31-year-old All-Pro tells me he wants to finish his career in Baltimore” Russini tweeted. And she included a single inflammatory quote from Henry himself that’s sure to rile up plenty of Titans fans:
“I want to retire a Raven.”
Now, the logical read here is that Henry doesn’t want to go anywhere else before he calls it a career. He’s about to play the 2nd and final year of his existing contract with the Ravens, after which he’ll be 32 years old. After putting up a monstrous season of volume at a career-high 5.9 yards per carry clip, it’s fair to assume he won’t be retiring this time next year barring any unforeseen circumstances.
So Henry wants to sign an extension with Baltimore. That’s likely all there is to this. He wants to continue playing for the Ravens until Father Time finally does come for him in the near (?) future.
But the way this has hit the internet, many fans won’t read it that way.
At the time of writing this, plenty of Titans fans on X have already reacted negatively to the context-less quote. They’re taking it to mean Henry intends on literally retiring as a Raven, in the ceremonial fashion that players close the books on their careers. We’re talking about the press release, the press conference at the team facility, a photo shoot at the stadium and in the locker room. The whole song and dance that longtime stars get to go through when they move on from their playing days.
If Henry were to do all that with Baltimore, the team he spent the twilight of his career with, it would send Tennessee faithful into a tailspin of anger and betrayal. After all, Henry’s star was born in Nashville. His 8-year run with Tennessee is what will get him into the Hall of Fame one day, and what he does in Baltimore is just further solidifying it. Again, the man truly was the face of an NFL franchise, as a running back, for a half decade. That alone is an astonishing feat. He’s one of the most adored and revered Titans in franchise history.
I expect Henry wants to finish his career in Baltimore, and then will retire as a Titan. For the sake of nervous Tennessee fans, I sure hope that’s the case.