Derrick Henry says landing with this NFC team would’ve been 'perfect situation'

When former Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry hit free agency for the first time in his NFL career, he knew exactly where he wanted to play next.

The problem is the team presumably he was most interested in didn’t feel the same way. That team, which Henry dubbed the ideal landing spot on “The Pivot” podcast, was the Dallas Cowboys.

Henry instead signed two-year, $16 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, who were also at the top of his list of preferred teams.

“I knew that once free agency started, I wanted to work something out [with the Ravens] if we could,” Henry said. “Even though I'm living in Dallas and Dallas being a perfect situation as well because we lived there and wouldn't have to move.”

The Cowboys’ lack of interest in Henry came as a bit of a surprise to many.

The 30-year-old RB lives in Dallas, and he made his interest in the team known once the Titans’ season ended in early January.

Additionally, running back is one of the Cowboys’ biggest areas of need after losing starting RB Tony Pollard to the Titans in free agency, leaving the team with five running backs all aged 22 to 25 with a combined 175 career carries under contract for 2024.

“I thought it’d be some type of reach out, some type of talks or whatever, but they never reached out,” Henry added. “In talking to my agent, they wasn’t really interested and I was just like, ‘It is what it is.’ I’m going to be where I need to be, and I feel like Baltimore was the perfect spot for me.”