The running back position has long been scrutinized for its punishing nature. As a result, the general rule of thumb is that, by the age of 27, the productivity of an NFL running back will likely begin to take a turn for the worse. However, it seems as if Derrick Henry is unaware of that.
Advertisement
Despite being 30 years of age and a nine-year NFL veteran, the bell-cow back for the Baltimore Ravens managed to produce an electric 2024 regular season campaign.
Had it not been for the historic performance of Saquon Barkley, his 1,921 rushing yards would have been the most in the league, dispelling any concerns there may have been surrounding Henry’s durability. In fact, his 5.9 yards per carry set a career-high for him, and was seemingly enough to convince the Ravens to give him a two-year, $30-million contract.
With $25 million of that money guaranteed, it’s safe to say that Baltimore is more than content with bucking the trend of dumping veteran running backs. Considering that Henry’s 16 rushing touchdowns, the most of any back in the league, were a major contributor to the team’s success, the Ravens likely don’t mind the investment.
While the deal stops just shy of making Henry one of the top five most-valued backs in the league, a yearly salary of $15,000,000 will see him become a top-three earner at the position throughout the next two seasons. Considering that Christian McCaffrey and the aforementioned Barkley are the only ones that will be earning more, both of whom have yet to reach the age of 30, Henry’s deal seems to be a rather fair one that is aware of both his productivity and his age.
Overall, the $30-million deal ranks eighth overall in terms of most valuable RB contracts. While it may not be as large as Chuba Hubbard’s contract with the Carolina Panthers, that’s more of an indictment on the NFC South competitors than it is of Henry. Nevertheless, it’s now Super Bowl or bust for the generational runner.
After spending the better part of his career with the lowly Tennessee Titans, Henry joined the Ravens in an attempt to make the most of his twilight years. While his first year in Baltimore certainly turned out to be for the betterment of his career, Henry and the Ravens ultimately fell short of their championship aspirations.
The two-point loss to the Buffalo Bills will go down in infamy, but with the clock steadily ticking against Henry’s career, the Ravens will look to rebound quickly in 2025. Given the lackluster nature of their recently-released regular season schedule, there seems to be little standing in the way of Baltimore making a return to the postseason.
From there, however, it’ll be up to their premier rushing duo to produce a bit more than 123 combined rushing yards that resulted in their divisional round elimination. The sun may be the same in a relative way, but Henry’s older.
Even now that he’s shorter of breath and one day closer to retirement than he’d like to be, fans can still rely on the age-defining runner to give it his all right up until the final moment in which he can’t.
