What do John Elway, Ray Lewis and Patrick Mahomes' newly retired backup have in common? Find out
John Elway. Ray Lewis. Chad Henne?
That’s right, Chad Henne.
The Chiefs’ backup quarterback retired not long after Kansas City’s 34-31 victory in Super Bowl 57.
Henne said on Instagram just hours after the game he's "calling it a career."
Was that Chad Henne's first Super Bowl ring?
Just like Hall of Famers Elway and Lewis, Henne took his Super Bowl ring and went home for good. Henne now sports two championship rings, just like Elway and Lewis.
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Henne, 37, was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 57th overall pick.
He played in three games his rookie season then became the Dolphins’ primary starter over the next two years.
Henne amassed a 13-14 record as a starter between 2009 and 2010. A shoulder injury derailed his 2011 season.
For his Dolphins career, he played in 36 games, starting 31 where he was 13-18 over the course of four years.
Henne signed as a free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2012. He spent six years with the Jags, playing in 31 games, starting 22, and going 5-17. During his 2015 season, he was a backup to Blake Bortles and didn't record a single stat that season.
He was signed by the Chiefs as a free agent in 2018, and he’s been Patrick Mahomes’ backup since.
While he hasn’t seen much playing action in Kansas City, he’s done it when it counts.
This past January against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisonal round, Mahomes injured his ankle during the second quarter and Henne came in to save the day. With the Chiefs leading 10-7 and pinned at their own 2-yard line, Henne exacted a 98-yard touchdown drive that was key in the 27-20 win.
In another instance in the playoffs following the 2020 season, Mahomes suffered a concussion late in a Divisional game against the Cleveland Browns. Henne took over late with the Chiefs leading 22-17. He led the Chiefs on an eight-play, 24-yard drive that allowed Kansas City to control the final 4:09 of the game to secure the victory.
The drive included a 13-yard Henne scramble to set up fourth-and-1 and a pass to Tyreek Hill on the following fourth-down play to ice the win.
Henne won his first Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
According to Spotrac.com, Henne made $2 million in base salary and bonuses this season.
During his career, he made an estimated $24.2 million.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Chad Henne retires a champion, just like John Elway and Ray Lewis
