According to Ian Rapoport, Chargers TE Hunter Henry is expected to play out the 2020 season under the franchise tag and will not sign an extension before the deadline.
Henry had already signed his tag and indicated his willingness to take this route, so this isn’t a major surprise.
Rapoport notes the financial uncertainty the league faces because of the pandemic likely contributed to this outcome.
Henry has dealt with some injuries during his NFL career so far, but he’s still one of the better young tight ends in the league and someone Los Angeles would likely prefer to keep around first-round QB Justin Herbert as he develops.
Henry will make $10.6 million fully guaranteed under the tag in 2020 and be an unrestricted free agent again in 2021.
Henry, 25, is a former second-round pick of the Chargers back in 2016. He just finished his four-year, $6.38 million contract that included $3.98 million guaranteed and made a base salary of $1.32 million over the final year of the agreement.
In 2019, Henry appeared in 12 games for the Chargers and caught 55 passes for 652 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 12 tight end out of 67 qualifying players.
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