Derrick Henry is 32 years old, entering his 11th NFL season, and he wants the question gone before it's even asked. Does the end of his career ever cross his mind?
"I don't try to enter another season thinking about retiring and have that on my mind. That's not even my mindset," Henry said on Thursday at Baltimore Ravens' training camp. "My mindset is: how can I get better? Be the best I can be so we can be the best team we can be. But no, I haven't thought about retirement at all."
The numbers back up the confidence. "King Henry" is the NFL's active leader in career rushing yards, sitting at 13,018 heading into this season, and he just posted 1,595 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025 — his age-31 year. That followed an even bigger debut season in Baltimore, when he ran for 1,921 yards and led the league in rushing touchdowns at age 30.
The production earned him a two-year, $30 million extension last offseason that runs through 2027, the richest deal for a running back over 30 in NFL history.
Still, he hasn't won a Super Bowl.
Asked whether the urgency to win a championship intensifies with each passing year the way it has for quarterback Lamar Jackson, Henry didn't hesitate. "If I haven't got it by Year 11, then I don't know when I'm going to get it. But yes, that's always been my focus — wanting to be better, wanting to do better than the year before and wanting to win the championship. So that's the number one goal, always."
Henry also has become famous for taking care of his body - a 6-foot-2, 252 frame that is unique to a runner of his caliber. There's no sign of his health breaking down, but still, head coach Jesse Minter, in his first camp with Henry, said he'll be careful to limit his reps if needed, but clearly wants him on the field as much as possible.
"I do think, like all the players, we are going to have to be really smart to get him through the long season. I do not look at that from an 'Oh, he is slowing down' standpoint, but that is our job," Minter said. "The way that guy goes about his business is really impressive... for that dude to be playing running back with the size and skill set that he has is definitely one of a kind."
Henry's ALS Awareness Push
Henry also spent part of Wednesday explaining why he took the Ice Bucket Challenge this week — a tribute to former Titans running back Chris Johnson, who announced last month that he's battling ALS. Johnson, the 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year who rushed for 2,006 yards that season, has been pushing to revive the viral 2014 fundraising challenge as he fights the disease.
"This is someone I grew up watching, idolizing," Henry said of Johnson, a fellow Florida native. "Watching him in the league dominating, running for 2,000 yards, being a superstar — that is something that I envisioned myself doing as I grew up." Henry said he's stayed in Johnson's corner personally, not just publicly. "Just getting to know him, talking to him, having a shoulder to lean on... I just wanted to let him know I'm thinking about him, praying for him, and we're all supporting him."
Henry described the response across the running back position as part of a broader kinship. "I think it's just trying to have a brotherhood. We all play the same position, so we all know what it takes... it's just about supporting one another." Baltimore has its own history with the cause — former Ravens linebacker O.J. Brigance, diagnosed with ALS in 2007, has spent nearly two decades raising awareness for the disease and now serves as the team's director of player development.