The pairing of the Baltimore Ravens and veteran running back Derrick Henry had felt like a match made in heaven for years prior to it finally coming to fruition last offseason.
In their first year together in 2024, the future Hall of Famer didn't just outperform the below top-of-the-market deal he was signed to but he vastly exceeded any and all expectations, especially for a player at his position given age and treadwear after being the bell cow and face of the Tennessee Titans offense for half a decade.
Even though Henry finished just shy of 2,000 yards and right behind Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley for the NFL regular-season rushing title, his prolific production in his first year with the Ravens was historic nonetheless. With 1,921 rushing yards on 325 carries, he became the first running back at age 30 or older to rush for 1,800-plus yards in a single season in 20 years.
The only other player to ever achieve this rare feat was New York Giants legend and three-time Pro Bowler Tiki Barber, who finished just 20 yards behind league MVP and fellow running back Shaun Alexander for the league rushing title in 2005 with 1,860 yards on a career-high 357 carries. Barber's best seasons actually came in the final three years of his career, and he even followed up his historic year with another strong one the following season when at 31 years old, he rushed for the second-most yards in his career with 1,662 yards on 327 carries.
On Wednesday, Henry made history again for a player at his position as he and the Ravens agreed to a two-year contract extension that keeps him in Baltimore through the 2027 season when he'll be 33 years old. His new deal is worth $30 million with $25 million guaranteed, making it the largest contract ever given to a running back at 30 years old or older, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The sensational seasons that both Henry and Barkley had in 2024 began to reverse the discourse about the devaluation of the running back position. The narrative nearly escalated to the point where prominent young players at the position were exploring the possibility of starting their own union separate from the NFLPA in 2023.
History does show a gradual, and sometimes even precipitous, decline in the production and durability of players at the running back position who already have the shortest career lifespans of any position group.
However, Henry has proven to be the exception and is poised to continue to do so in Baltimore for a multitude of reasons. Unlike the bulk of his tenure in Tennessee, he is not the only star or dangerous rushing threat in the Ravens' offense, as teams have to account for his electrifyingly dynamic and two-time league MVP-winning quarterback, Lamar Jackson, as a focal point in the running game as well.
There's also the Ravens scheme under offensive coordinator Todd Monken that emphasizes getting playmakers in space with room to work with and a host of blockers in front of them. It also puts opposing defenses in conflict with motion and misdirection so that they can't just key in on stopping him exclusively when he's on the field, which allowed him to lead all running backs in 2024 with a career-high 5.9 yards per carry.
The Ravens also have strong and explosive players behind him on the depth chart who can help lighten his load over the course of the season, further preserving his health and lengthening his career. He formed one of the best backfield tandems in the league with fellow veteran Justice Hill, who is the team's primary pass-catching and blocking option at the position and is a great change-of-pace runner. Third-year speedster Keaton Mitchell will also have a larger role in the offense moving forward now that he is more than a year and a half removed from the severe knee injury that cut his promising rookie season short in 2023.
There's no denying that Henry is a physical specimen whose blend of size, speed and power is generational. But he isn't just built different, he trains and lives different as well. In a similar fashion to future Hall of Fame quarterback and six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady in the later stages of his career, Henry's diet and training habits are what separate him from the pack and keep him producing at an elite level.
If there's any running back worth betting on to continue defying father time into the twilight of their career, it's Henry. The Ravens expressed that confidence and belief by inking him to such a lucrative deal. The five-time Pro Bowler is now the third-highest paid player at his position in the league while being the second oldest behind only Cordarrelle Patterson, 33, who didn't make the conversion from wide receiver until 2021.
