Derrick Henry's flight from Dallas to Baltimore to sign his two-year contract extension was delayed multiple times Sunday night, meaning he didn't get in till 4:45 a.m.
Henry crashed for about 30 minutes, but his internal motor defaulted into how he always operates. He decided to forego sleep and headed into the Under Armour Performance Center for a very early morning workout.
That mindset is part of the reason why the Ravens didn't hesitate to make Henry the highest-paid 30+-year-old running back in NFL history with their two-year, reported $30 million contract.
Henry has only one setting – work. He's a unique player in both stature and the way he goes about his business. Henry only took a week off after the Ravens' heartbreaking playoff defeat in Buffalo before jumping back in the gym.
"My mind was going crazy. I was like, 'I've got to go work out,'" Henry said. "I couldn't wait anymore. I couldn't hold off, so I came back to the facility."
Getting over that hump and into the Super Bowl is the motivation, and Henry is willing to do whatever it takes to get there. Step one was keeping the window open in Baltimore. Alongside Lamar Jackson and in an offense that has remained largely intact, Henry feels he has a strong chance to do it.
"Last year, it was a lot of fun," Henry said. "We accomplished winning the division, got into the playoffs, but ultimately, we came up short, so it's a lot of fuel that should go into this season. Guys should be motivated – they are motivated – and hungry to get ready for the next one."
Henry's hunger has never been questioned. How long the 31-year-old five-time Pro Bowler can produce at such a high level has been.
The league thought Henry's best days were behind him last offseason, when numerous running backs signed before the NFL's active career rushing leader. Henry inked a two-year deal worth a reported $16 million in Baltimore.
As juicy as the Henry-Jackson pairing seemed last offseason, it turned out even better than anyone predicted as Henry rushed for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaged a career-high 5.9 yards per rush, and the Ravens owned the league's top-ranked offense.
"He fits our identity as an organization, and I think he fits Baltimore as a city and what the city stands for," Ravens Running Backs Coach Willie Taggart said. "When you watched the Ravens play, it was always dominating and physical, and when you watch Derrick run, it's dominating and physical. … He just fit everything about us."
After spending his first eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans, Henry was an instant hit in Baltimore. After the season ended, Henry was in line for a raise. Both sides wanted to keep a good thing going, and a deal eventually came together.
"I'm just very grateful for this organization," Henry said. "Just like last year, coming off the season I had [in Tennessee], I wasn't really happy, and I wanted to prove myself and just get an opportunity, and they gave me the opportunity. I'm very appreciative of how much they value me, to give me an extension, and I just want to show them how much it means to me, how much this organization means to me by the way I work and what I do on the field."
Henry said earlier this offseason that he wants to finish his career in Baltimore. The extension puts him under contract through 2027, but Henry didn't say this would be his final deal.
"I'm not putting a timetable on when I'm going to be done playing. When you feel like you've done enough and you gave the game your all, it's time to hang it up," Henry said on "The Lounge" podcast. "But I ain't thought about that, I ain't thinking about it. I feel great, not even close.
"I think we can win one here and that's what I want to do. I am confident and that's what I'm focused on. I'm going to emphasize that when I get a chance to talk to the team. I want to win. I want to win it, and I think we can win it here. We will win it here."
