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Derrick Henry to sign with Baltimore Ravens on two-year contract, per reports
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- Derrick Henry to sign with Baltimore Ravens on two-year contract, per reports
Derrick Henry essentially said goodbye to Tennessee Titans fans following the final game of the 2023 regular season, when Henry grabbed a microphone and told the crowd in Nissan Stadium, "I just want to say thank you for the greatest eight years of my life."
The farewell was for real.
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Henry agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens , according to NFL Network. The contract includes $9 million guaranteed and bonuses that could up the deal to $20 million total.
The Ravens were the NFL's top rushing offense last season, as Henry will join a backfield that includes reigning MVP Lamar Jackson at quarterback. Former Ravens running back Gus Edwards agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, and J.K. Dobbins is no longer under contract. Keaton Mitchell is recovering from a torn ACL the undrafted rookie suffered in December.
Drafted in the second round (45th overall) in 2015, the year he won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama, Henry spent the first two seasons of his pro career sharing the Titans' backfield with DeMarco Murray . By the following year, however, he emerged as the team's bell cow and one of the league's dominant backs. Henry rushed for his first of five 1,000-yard campaigns in Tennessee and had a memorable 99-yard touchdown run – punctuated by a signature Henry stiff-arm – against the Jacksonville Jaguars on "Thursday Night Football."
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (22) waves to the fans as he leaves the field against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at Nissan Stadium.
In 2019, Henry led the league in the rushing for the first time (1,540 yards) and was tied for most rushing touchdowns (16) as the Titans advanced to the AFC championship game before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs .
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The next season was historic for Henry, beyond the 378 carries he logged. He became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season, and he averaged 126.7 yards per game on the ground. Henry won Offensive Player of the Year and also was named first-team All-Pro.
Henry missed more than half of the 2021 season – but still had 937 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns – due to a foot fracture. He still returned for Tennessee's postseason game that year, a divisional-round loss to the Cincinnati Bengals .
At 29, Henry put together another 1,500-yard campaign in 2022, and he was selected to his third Pro Bowl team. The Titans selected Tyjae Spears , a smaller (5-10, 200 pounds) back from Tulane, in the third round of the 2023 draft, and Henry's role diminished despite the complementary nature of the backfield partnership. Still, he went to his fourth Pro Bowl in February.
Henry signed a four-year, $50 million deal with the Titans in 2020 and received a $2 million raise prior to the 2022 campaign .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens agree to two-year contract
