FOXBOROUGH — As he got dressed at his locker Hunter Henry said he didn’t know that the Patriots were playing the Chargers in the first round of the playoffs.
“Is that who we’re playing?” Henry said, smiling. “It’ll be fun. For sure.”
Henry began his career as a Charger as a second-round pick out of Arkansas and moved with them from San Diego to Los Angeles. In 2018, he missed the entire regular season but returned to the Charger lineup for the playoffs, where they lost to the Super Bowl-bound Patriots, 41-28 at Gillette Stadium.
Henry spent four years with a lightning bolt on his helmet before signing with the Patriots as a free agent before the 2021 season.
Henry has been part of some difficult years in New England. The low point might have been when his former team thumped the Patriots, 40-7, last year in Week 17.
“We’re a very, very different team from a year ago. We’re a very close team. We’ve come together,” Henry said. “But now it kind of starts over. It’s a new season. We have to be ready to go. We know they’ll be ready to go. They have a lot of good players over there. Obviously, I know a few of them. It’ll be a good challenge.”
As a Charger, Henry caught passes from star quarterback Justin Herbert and practiced against standout safety Derwin James. He spoke in reverent tones about both players.
“They have a really good quarterback. I played with him. He’ll be ready to go. They’ve got weapons,” he said. “On defense, they have Derwin. I’ve competed against Derwin a ton. He’s one of the best in the game. I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
Henry’s only other playoff game came in the 2021 season when the Patriots lost to the Bills, he was eager to chase his first postseason win.
“It’s a blessing to be in the playoffs again. We’ve had some hard times here. It’s hard to get in. This is a tough league,” he said. “Now, everybody is 0-0. It’s a new season. Playoff football is special.”
