Top Landing Spots for Ravens' Derrick Henry at 2026 NFL Trade Deadline

The Baltimore Ravens are teetering on the brink.

A season that started with Super Bowl aspirations is spiraling out of control. The team lost two quarterbacks to major injuries in last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills. The losses are piling up after Thursday's embarrassing home loss to the Jaguars. And as ESPN's Dan Graziano reported, the Ravens now potentially find themselves where few expected a couple of months ago—as sellers at the trade deadline.

And running back Derrick Henry's days in Baltimore could be numbered.

"Henry is turning 33 in January," Graziano said. "He is scheduled to earn $12 million next year, and none of that money is guaranteed. If he isn't in Baltimore's plans beyond this year, the Ravens could find themselves fielding offers over the next week. Henry's base salary this year is just $1.255 million (he made the rest of this year's $14 million via bonuses the Ravens have already paid), so he'd be extremely easy for another team to absorb onto its cap."

Now, it's far from guaranteed Henry will be traded—the Ravens are expected to bring in Jacoby Brissett as a veteran band-aid under center.

But if the team does decide to pull the plug on 2026, there is no shortage of teams who could use the services of the NFL's active rushing leader.

If there's an NFL team that is intimately aware of what Derrick Henry is capable of, it's the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jags saw a lot of Henry while he was with the Tennessee Titans, and what they usually saw was him running wild—over 15 career games against Jacksonville, Henry has averaged 5.4 yards per carry, 104.3 rushing yards per game and has found the end zone 16 times on the ground.

The Jaguars are firmly in the driver's seat in the AFC South, and this year's iteration of the team is one of the best in recent memory. The Jaguars have been decent running the ball this season, averaging just under 123 yards per game. Second-year pro Bhayshul Tuten has flashed—he's on pace to top 1,000 yards on the ground this season and has averaged 4.5 yards per carry.

But Tuten is dealing with injuries to his foot and finger, and there's no denying that the addition of Henry would add a new dimension to the Jacksonville offense. With a two-headed run game and all the passing-game weapons the team already has, the jaguars would be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.

Jacksonville's Super Bowl window is open. While it is, the team might as well push its chips into the center of the table.

The New England Patriots represented the AFC in Super Bowl LX, and while there have been some bumps in the road this year at 5-3 the Patriots are squarely in the mix once again.

New England's ground game has been solid this season—the Pats are averaging 123.1 yards per game on the ground. But what success the team has had running the ball has been almost entirely the doing of Rhamondre Stevenson—second-year pro TreVeyon Henderson has struggled this year and appears to have fallen from favor.

Even Stevenson has averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, and he has never carried the ball more than 210 times in a season. As Zach McGlone wrote for Chowder and Champions , the addition of Henry would take pressure off of Stevenson—and give New England an intimidating "Thunder and More Thunder" backfield.

"Imagine the Patriots offense drives down the field with some good runs from Stevenson, and then you see The King jogging onto the field in the red zone, and all you can do is pray," he said. "He would be an excellent weapon that could help Drake Maye and would be a nightmare to tackle. At 32 years old, Henry wants a title, and he could be the piece that puts the Patriots over the top and the piece that makes this offense unstoppable in the red zone."

Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel already brought in one of his former Titans players in wide receiver A.J. Brown.

It's not especially hard to see why the Denver Broncos have been mentioned as a potential suitor for just about every running back on the market.

The Broncos got a good performance from rookie Jonah Coleman in last week's win over the Kansas City Chiefs. But for the season the Broncos are averaging just 92.6 rushing yards per game—26th in the NFL. JK Dobbins is averaging less than 3.5 yards per carry. RJ Harvey is on injured reserve.

Per Sayre Bedinger of Predominantly Orange , acquiring Derrick Henry would give the Broncos a between-the-tackles presence the team sorely lacks.

"The downhill, no-nonsense running style of Derrick Henry could be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Denver Broncos," Bedinger said. "Henry is now part of a sinking ship with the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson's latest injury is a season-ender, and his future with the organization beyond this year is now a question mark. Ravens OC Declan Doyle was with the Denver Broncos as recently as 2024 on Sean Payton's staff, and the Ravens were interested in hiring Davis Webb as their head coach this offseason. Henry would only be a short-term rental, but that's all this team really needs in a championship window."

So far this season, the 6-2 Broncos have been able to mostly overcome their offensive deficiencies. But as the team moves deeper into the season and then the playoffs, those deficiencies could be Denver's undoing…

Let's flip to the NFC, because if Henry is dealt it will likely be there.

Among all the postseason contenders listed here, none are more surprised to be there than the Minnesota Vikings. A team that entered the season as a fringe contender at best is tied for the NFC's best record at 6-1.

As Alec Lewis wrote for The Athletic , it puts the Vikings in an interesting spot as the trade deadline nears.

"The Vikings are already punching well above their weight. The only teams spending less cash on their 2026 roster are the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins, according to Spotrac. Those teams have a combined 1-13 record. For the Vikings brass, assessing how far to go to supplement this team is an exercise in weighing patience versus aggression. The results will offer perhaps the clearest indication of how (GM Norman) Teasley and the front office view team-building and resource allocation."

Henry isn't a long-term solution in the backfield—he's essentially a one-year rental. But his remaining salary this season is minimal and Minnesota has an extra third-rounder next year that could be used to bring The King to Twin Cities.

It's a win-now move that doesn't carry major ramifications for Minnesota's future. And with the Vikings mired in the middle of the pack at 113.9 rushing yards per game, the team could use the bump in the backfield.

If Minnesota believes they genuinely have a chance at a deep playoff run this year, it's an upgrade that is worth exploring.

At 5-3, the Packers are 1.5 games back of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. If the season ended today, the Pack would be the No. 7 seed in the NFC. The last team in.

In other words, while Green Bay is a good team, it's a good team with little margin for error. And while quarterback Jordan Love is playing at a high level so far this season, the run game has been completely inept. With Josh Jacobs out, the Packers couldn't get anything going on the ground. It hasn't been any better with Jacobs back—he's averaging 2.3 yards per carry, and Green Bay is dead last in the league in rushing at an atrocious 60.6 yards per game.

Yes, Henry isn't having his best season—his 4.0 yards per carry this season is a career-low. And the backs in Green Bay aren't completely to blame for the team's struggles gaining yards on the ground.

But even four yards a pop would be a marked improvement in Titletown—the Packers are averaging less than three yards a carry as a team.

Green Bay doesn't need to be a juggernaut on the ground. But if the team is going to not only make the postseason but do some damage once they get there, the Packers need at least some semblance of offensive balance.

If King Henry really is traded, the New York Giants have to be considered the favorite for his services.

It almost makes too much sense to happen. There's the obvious connection between Henry and Giants head coach John Harbaugh. At 4-2-, the Giants are unexpectedly in first place (by multiple games) in the NFC East. The G-Men are averaging 116.7 rushing yards per game, but there are questions galore at running back—Cam Skattebo is banged up, Tyrone Tracy is on injured reserve and Devin Singletary has all of 18 carries this season.

As Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said on PFT Live, it's a move that makes sense for all sides involved.

"If you're Derrick Henry, are you showing up today and are you saying 'Please trade me to the Giants', or another contender," Florio said. "If I'm Henry and I'm looking at the calendar and I'm looking at the schedule and I'm looking at the situation and I'm thinking I'm not getting any younger and I'd kinda like to have a playoff run. If I'm the Giants and I'm looking at Jonathan Taylor if I'm John Harbaugh I'm calling my former GM Eric DeCosta today and I'm saying, 'is there any way that Derrick Henry could be available'."

Henry admittedly isn't a long-term solution in the same way that Jonathan Taylor or Breece Hall is. Or even Tony Pollard. But Henry also won't be as expensive in a trade as those other backs, and frankly the Giants should be focused on the present.

When you have one playoff appearance over the past decade and you're in first place, you have to live in the now.