The Baltimore Ravens haven't exactly been world beaters during the 2025 NFL season. They're just 2-5 through the first portion of the schedule, but they've been without MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson since Week 4, so this team hasn't shown what they can do yet.
Of course, defensively, the team is an absolute mess. There is a serious argument to be made that, although Jackson is returning for Thursday Night Football in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins, the Ravens could still be sellers at the deadline and look to address that side of the ball this offseason.
Mark Andrews is the most commonly floated name that could be a casualty of this mindset, but a handful of other valuable pieces in Baltimore could potentially be on the way out if things don't improve in the next week before the November 4 trade deadline. But not Derrick Henry.
Ravens fans can't entertain baseless Derrick Henry trade rumors
A few weeks ago, The Ringer's Bill Simmons started talking about the idea of the New England Patriots trading for Henry. Of course, the dots are easy to connect, as Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel coached Henry for six years while the two were with the Tennessee Titans.
New England has been one of the biggest surprises of the season, as they sit at 6-2 and atop the AFC East. Given the position that they are in, they are expected to be buyers at the trade deadline, and ESPN's Mike Reiss noted that the Patriots are looking to add a running back.
Henry feels like an obvious candidate here, given New England's desire, the relationship between Vrabel and Henry, and the two teams' differing fortunes to begin the year. Plus, the Patriots are sitting on a ton of draft picks and salary cap space.
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But Henry is truly irreplaceable for the Ravens. Although he is already 31 years old and starting to show that he is finally slowing down a smidge, he and Jackson's dynamic cannot be replicated, and this offense is as good as any when the two are firing on all cylinders.
It should also be noted that Henry has another year on his contract, and the Ravens would take on dead cap hits of $7.2 million for the remainder of 2025 and $19.0 million in 2026, while only saving $1.25 million for the rest of this season.
A trade here has always felt unlikely, and that doesn't change simply because the Patriots are reportedly looking for a running back.