Chad Henne has been a notable figure in the NFL for over a decade, transitioning from a promising college player to a reliable backup quarterback. This article delves into the specifics of his contracts, career highlights, and financial impact on the teams he has played for.
Henne was a four-year starter at Michigan, completing 59.7 percent of his passes for 9,715 yards. He threw 87 touchdowns to 37 interceptions, averaging 7 yards per attempt. During his time at Michigan, Henne won 33 games but only won one bowl game in his four seasons. The Wolverines’ biggest success under Henne came in his junior season. The team won their first 11 games and were ranked second in the AP Top 25 for an extended period. However, a loss to Ohio State in their final Big Ten game of the season cost them a shot at the National Championship Game.
Miami Dolphins
Henne became the starter for the Dolphins in his second season in 2009. He started 13 games, leading the team to a 7-6 record. However, he threw for just 2,878 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. 2010 was another mistake-filled season for Henne. He started 14 games, with the Dolphins going 6-8 in his time as the starter. He once again threw more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (15) during that season. During 2011, Henne’s Miami career come to a screeching halt. He opened the season as the starter, throwing for 416 yards with 2 touchdowns passing (and 1 rushing TD) in a losing effort. Henne’s Dolphins career ended in Week 4 of the 2011 season against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jacksonville Jaguars
In 2012, Chad Henne signed a two-year deal worth $6.75 million with the Jaguars. He began the season as the backup to Blaine Gabbert but would become the starter after Gabbert was injured in a Week 11 matchup against the Houston Texans. Gabbert was benched early in the 2013 season, meaning Henne became the starter once again.
Henne signed another two-year, $8 million contract in 2016 to remain the backup. The Jaguars re-signed veteran quarterback Chad Henne to a two-year contract on Friday, prior to the start of NFL free agency.
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The new deal matches the base salary of the contract he received when he re-signed in 2014. Although Henne's numbers are nothing special, he's an experienced veteran who's used to playing in the Jaguars system. So it made sense for the team to keep him as the chief backup to Bortles at the same pay rate rather than trying to find another No. 2 option somewhere else.
Alex Marvez of FOX Sports reported the deal is for two-years, worth a total of $8 million and potentially more with certain incentives being met. Ryan O’Halloran noted that Henne’s deal will have games started incentives, which could lead to the total being over $8 million, though very unlikely. Marvez also reports the deal includes $4.5 million in guaranteed money, $1.5 of which is in the form of a signing bonus and $3 million in the form of a roster bonus due in 2014.
The base salary portion of Henne’s deal hadn’t been released yet, but knowing just the signing bonus and roster bonus it appears the deal is essentially a one-year, $4.5 million deal. His deal was likely structured in a way where all of the guaranteed money will be paid in the first season, so look for his cap hit to be right at or above $4.5 million which gives the Jaguars the option releasing him and saving money on the cap in 2015. It’s a deal that makes perfect sense for a bridge/backup quarterback, which is exactly what Chad Henne is.
The veteran signal-caller completed 60.6% of his attempts, compiling 3,241 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with his 14 interceptions. Although Henne will be back in Jacksonville next season, that doesn’t mean the team will simply hand him the starting job. The former second-round pick might head into 2014 as the No. 1 guy, or at least with a chance to compete for that spot, but the Jaguars are expected to select a quarterback fairly early in May’s draft.
Henne previously stated he planned to see what types of other opportunities were available along with what the Jags were willing to offer, per O'Halloran. "I'd love to be here, but at the same time, we're going to see what's out there," Henne said. "I don't think we'll be too quick. But if they offer the right thing, then probably [he'll re-sign]." He seemingly found it hard to pass up $4 million per year as a reserve.
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Henne is capable of filling a short-term void for Jacksonville if Bortles goes down with injury. Henne didn't see the field at all during the 2015 campaign. Second-year starter Blake Bortles played all 16 games for Jacksonville and showcased a lot of improvement, increasing his passer rating from 69.5 as a rookie to 88.2 in his second season. The 30-year-old veteran backup did make 28 appearances, including 22 starts, over the previous three seasons. His numbers in those games were right in line with his merely average performance across four years with the Miami Dolphins, as he tallied 27 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.
Kansas City Chiefs
After Alex Smith left the Chiefs, Kansas City added Chad Henne on a two-year, $6.7 million contract to be the backup quarterback to Patrick Mahomes. More contract details have been released for two recent Chiefs signees: quarterback Chad Henne and defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins. Henne signed a two-year, $6.7 million deal with $5.115 million guaranteed.
Henne's salary cap hits will be $2.605 million in 2018 and $4.095 million in 2019. Henne could also earn more money with incentives. The Chiefs could release Henne after the 2018 season and save $1.545 million. Henne might not have been everyone's first choice for the Chiefs' backup quarterback but he is an experienced vet who could succeed in coach Andy Reid's scheme if thrust into playing time. An average of $3.35 million for a solid backup is generally worth it.
Henne played in just one game during those two seasons but won a championship ring in 2019. However, Henne suffered the disappointment of not even being the backup QB for the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Henne returned to the Chiefs in 2020 and was rewarded with a start in Week 17. He may have lost that game, but his moment as a hero came in the Divisional Round against the Cleveland Browns.
The Kansas City Chiefs locked in their backup quarterback for at least the next season, re-signing Chad Henne to a two-year deal. Henne has been with the Chiefs since 2018. He was with the team on a two-year deal between 2018 and 2019. However, early in the 2020 free agency period, Henne returned to Kansas City on a two-year deal for 2020 and 2021. Chad Henne’s deal is essentially the same in both seasons. 2020 saw him earn $1.25 million in fully guaranteed salary. He also received a $750,000 signing bonus.
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His cap hit in 2021 is identical to that of 2020 ($1.625 million). However, the makeup of that money is slightly different. $375,000 comes in the form of the prorated signing bonus, which is the identical part. Henne also has a $50,000 workout bonus in 2021. The remainder of the deal involves $1.2 million in base salary.
Henne suffered an ankle injury during the 2019 preseason that knocked him out for a chunk of the year. He returned healthy from injured reserve late in the season ahead of the Week 9 game against the Minnesota Vikings. He was active during that game, backing up Matt Moore. He also was active for the game against the Tennessee Titans game during the postseason.
The structure of this contract essentially gives Henne a one-year deal with the Chiefs, as they'll be able to cut him in 2021 prior to the third day of the new league year without a big dead cap number.
Here's a look at the base salary, signing bonus and cap numbers courtesy of OverTheCap:
By my calculations, Henne's contract leaves the Chiefs with about $1.5 million in salary-cap space.
Chad Henne Career Lowlights
Between Week 17 and the Divisional Round of the 2020 NFL season, Chad Henne has thrown more passes in a season than he has since 2014.
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