New England Patriots star playmaker aiming to pay it forward for promising rookie the same way his mentor once did

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry is aiming to guide rookie Eli Raridon, much like Antonio Gates did for him years ago.

AJ Schulte — College Football Trending News Writer
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Oct 26, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; (Editors Notes: Caption Correction) New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) celebrates a touchdown during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium.
Oct 26, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; (Editors Notes: Caption Correction) New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (85) celebrates a touchdown during the third quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry first entered the NFL, he was able to turn to veteran mentors to help quiet the noise. At that point, Henry was with the then-San Diego Chargers, playing behind future Pro Football Hall of Famer Antonio Gates.

Playing behind Gates allowed Henry time to learn from one of the best and adjust to the speed of the NFL. Now, he’s looking to provide that mentorship to another promising rookie in New England Patriots’ third-round pick Eli Raridon.

From mentee to mentor

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Henry highlighted how Gates’s mentorship helped him along as a rookie and how he wants to provide a similar example for Raridon.

“I’m always trying to be a leader. I had some good vets when I was young, obviously, with Antonio Gates and Sean McGrath is another guy that comes to mind. Those guys really helped me come along. Sometimes it wasn’t even what they said. It was just watching how they process things and how they went about their business, and handling everything. It really taught me what was to kind of be in this league. So really, hopefully Raridon can come alongside and just watch that process. Obviously, I’m going to be there for him.”

Henry is now entering his 11th NFL season and has just a year left on his deal with the New England Patriots. While he’s still a valuable piece of the offense, it’s rather obvious that the plan is for Raridon to hopefully become his heir as New England’s top tight end. Despite knowing that, Henry is still aiming to guide Raridon as much as he can.

“We try to have a close-knit tight end in the room. What a blessing it is to get drafted and we’re excited to add him to the room. He can bring a lot of value and excited to meet him and excited about having him here.”

Given the Patriots’ likely offensive evolution (revolution?) back to multiple-TE sets, Raridon could be in line for a substantial role both now and in the future. For now, he’ll lean on Henry to acclimate him into the big leagues.