SAN FRANCISCO — Not only is this Hunter Henry’s first trip to the Super Bowl after 10 years in the NFL, it comes after arguably his best season in the NFL.
The veteran tight end finished the regular season as the New England Patriots’ second-leading receiver with a career-best 768 yards. Those came on 60 receptions, tied for the second most in his career. He’s added six catches for 81 yards and a touchdown in three playoff games.
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Henry will certainly be a key target for QB Drake Maye on Sunday as the Patriots take on the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX. Largely thanks to Henry, the New England offense racked up the third-most yards in the NFL (379.4 per game) and the second-most points (28.8) in the regular season.
But his play on the field isn’t where Henry makes the most impact. He’s long been a supporter of numerous organizations and charities, and was recognized for his work by the Patriots making him their nominee for this year’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
One such nonprofit near and dear to Henry is Compassion International, a Christian child development organization working to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.
“We’ve given and supported them for a long time,” Hunter said this week when asked by Sports Spectrum why Compassion is important to him. “It’s a tremendous organization that does a lot of cool things across the globe.
“Honestly, we got even more involved once I had my two kids. Just seeing the poverty and there’s so many kids around the globe that struggle, and the work that they do to get these kids out of poverty and really help these kids across the globe is just life-changing. Then the mission behind it and the heart behind it is really why we love the organization.”
"The work that they do to get these kids out of poverty and really help these kids across the globe is just life changing." – Hunter Henry, Patriots TE
We are so excited to partner with @compassion for our Super Bowl LX coverage in San Francisco.
Learn more about Compassion… pic.twitter.com/KcIMuHPEEc
— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 5, 2026
Henry was introduced to Compassion at a young age, as his family — led by his dad, Mark, who was a pastor in Little Rock, Arkansas — worked with the organization. The Henry family sponsored a young girl in Guatemala, and took a trip when Hunter was in high school to meet her. Hunter called it “life-changing.”
“It puts everything in perspective, how cushy our life can be, how easy things can be here,” Henry told the Patriots team website in 2024, when he wore custom Compassion cleats for a game as part of the NFL’s My Cause My Cleats initiative.
Once he graduated from the University of Arkansas and entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2016, he began supporting Compassion on his own. And as he’s gotten married and started a family, he’s gotten his wife, Parker, and their two children, Ace and Rivi, involved as well.
“They’re my fruit, basically. I have to pour into them, I have to give to them, and I have to be the example my dad was for me,” Henry said about his kids. “I want to give my kids that but I want to give other kids that too.”
Henry’s heart to serve and support others stems from his strong faith in Christ. He’s long been outspoken about his faith, and has continued to proclaim his faith this week at the Super Bowl.
“My faith in Jesus has meant everything to me,” he told Sports Spectrum. “It’s really my foundation, it’s my rock that keeps me steady. Football and life are kind of a roller coaster, and there’s a lot of ups and downs. Honestly, my faith in Jesus keeps me very solid, keeps me steady, something I can always rely on. It’s just a solid foundation for me through everything.”
Henry and the Patriots face the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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