ExtremeRavens Posted 23 hours ago Posted 23 hours ago Derrick Henry is a patient runner. When it comes to trying to accomplish his goal of getting to — and winning — a Super Bowl, not so much. A week after the Ravens’ season ended with a familiarly dismaying 27-25 divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills, the 31-year-old was already back in the gym working out. “My mind was going crazy,” Henry said Monday, speaking with reporters for the first time since signing a two-year, $30 million extension last week that will keep him in Baltimore through the 2027 season. “I couldn’t wait no more. I couldn’t hold off.” That was true earlier in the day, too. Because of a flight delay out of Texas, Henry didn’t land in Baltimore until around 4:45 a.m. on Monday. Despite just 30 minutes of sleep, he arrived at the team’s facility in Owings Mills for a workout around 6 a.m. before officially signing his extension later in the morning, which perhaps explains the bulging biceps and sleeveless workout hoodie he donned for the photo op on the team’s social media channels. That contract makes Henry, who was set to enter the final year of his deal after signing with Baltimore last year following eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, the highest paid running back over age 30 in history and third-highest paid back in the league in terms of average annual value behind only Saquon Barkley, who led the league in rushing and helped the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super bowl title, and the San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey. It was a priority as well, as much for the team as it was for the player. Last season, Henry finished second in the league with 1,921 yards rushing, posted career highs in yards per carry (5.9) and total touchdowns (18) and helped Baltimore become the first team in league history to top 3,000 yards rushing and 4,000 passing in the same season. Baltimore finished 12-5 and won the AFC North, and Henry said earlier this offseason that he wants to finish his career with the Ravens. “I just fell in love with everything, with the brotherhood, by the way they work, how they approach everything,” he said Monday. “I know we came up short, but it was a lot of fun.” With Henry returning alongside quarterback and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson — whose current contract also runs through 2027 — to form perhaps the most electrifying and potent backfield in the sport, keeping the two together as long as possible was also as much a no-brainer as it was inevitable. “I think he fits our identity as an organization,” assistant head coach/running backs Willie Taggart, right, said of Derrick Henry. “I think he fits Baltimore as a city and what the city stands for." (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Ravens running back Derrick Henry, left, and assistant head coach/running backs Willie Taggart speaks with media during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Ravens running back Derrick Henry, left, and assistant head coach/running backs Willie Taggart speaks with media during a press conference at the Under Armour Performance Center. (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Show Caption1 of 3“I think he fits our identity as an organization,” assistant head coach/running backs Willie Taggart, right, said of Derrick Henry. “I think he fits Baltimore as a city and what the city stands for." (Kevin Richardson/Staff)Expand “I think he fits our identity as an organization,” running backs coach Willie Taggart said of Henry. “I think he fits Baltimore as a city and what the city stands for. “When you watch the Ravens play, it was always dominating and physical, and when you watch Derrick run, it’s dominating and physical. You think about our city, it’s dominating and physical.” That domination has Henry within reach of the top 10 of the NFL’s all-time leading rushers. With 11,423 career yards, he currently ranks 19th and is just 1,316 yards shy of 10th-ranked Tony Dorsett. Only once in the past six years when Henry has played a full schedule has he not eclipsed that total. The historical context is not lost on him. “When you say something like that, it’s a surreal moment to be able to have that opportunity and be in that conversation,” he said. “God has blessed me tremendously, and since I was 5 years old, I fell in love with this game. Playing this position, I always looked up to the great running backs who played this game at a high level, who are legends of the game, dreaming of my game being mentioned with them one day.” Henry’s impact has also permeated the Ravens’ locker room. “You take a guy like Derrick who’s played at a high level his entire career, and to come in, and the way he practices, the way he takes meetings and for those younger guys to see that, I mean, it sets an example for them,” Taggart said. “They’re all young. They all want to have a career like Derrick’s, and to see that he’s this deep into his career, and he’s still taking it as if he was a rookie. It has changed our room dramatically.” The only question that remains now is whether the end result will be the Ravens’ first Super Bowl title since the 2012 season. Despite Henry’s age — a time when a running back’s production has often fallen off steeply — there is clearly little concern over his ability dropping off. If there was, Baltimore likely would not have agreed to such a pricey extension, particularly with several other priorities, including Jackson’s contract, needing to be addressed soon. But the extension ratchets up expectations, too. With a team that returns largely intact from a season ago, it will again be Super Bowl-or-bust for the Ravens. “I’m not going to get into any expectations,” Henry said. “Everything looks good on paper until you go out there and actually do it. We know what we’re capable of and what we can do, but we know the work we’ve got to put in to do those things and get where we want to go and be one of the top offenses in the league. It’s a lot of work we’ve still got to put in. We’ve got a lot of great players around the offense, and you’ve got to put the work in individually, and then we all get together collectively to do those things to be a top team, top offense and do things special that we want to do to get to where we want to go.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. “I think he fits our identity as an organization,” assistant head coach/running backs Willie Taggart, right, said of Derrick Henry. “I think he fits Baltimore as a city and what the city stands for." (Kevin Richardson/Staff) View the full article Quote
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