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Thomas Hennessy

Jets Rumors: OL, Rodgers, Hennessy, Brownlee, Duvernay-Tardif

May 7th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets landed a gamechanger at quarterback this spring, and now it’s up to them to figure out how to protect him. Head coach Robert Saleh made sure to communicate that the plan is to play the five best linemen, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, clarifying that the center and tackle spots, specifically, will be open for competition.

The guard spots are presumably safe. Despite a down year for Laken Tomlinson, the Jets signed him to a three-year deal last year to start at guard. After an admirable rookie year as a starter, Alijah Vera-Tucker put together a strong start to his sophomore season last year, even being forced into playing tackle due to injuries before a torn triceps injury of his own sidelined him for the rest of the year. Confirming earlier reports, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post recently reported that Vera-Tucker is still on track to return from his injury by training camp.

At tackle, Mekhi Becton is also slated to return in time for training camp after missing all but one game of last season due to an avulsion fracture of his right knee. Duane Brown mostly held down the left tackle position while right tackle was mostly handled by Vera-Tucker, Max Mitchell, and George Fant. Fant departed as a free agent, but the team brought in veteran tackle Billy Turner from Denver who can compete for the position, as well.

At center, Connor McGovern has handled starting duties in New York for the last three years, grading out as a top 10 center in the league in each of the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Jets only re-signed McGovern to a one-year contract, though, so it may not be so surprising that his job is open for competition. That point was further dictated by New York drafting one of the top center prospects in the draft, Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann, in the second round as the first center off the board. Despite McGovern’s recent years of success, Tippmann may represent the future at the position for the Jets.

Here are a few more rumors surrounding Gang Green this offseason:

  • Speaking of the Aaron Rodgers acquisition, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicated that Rodgers playing two more years was reportedly a big part of the team’s discussions with him before the trade. That supposed dedication was only reinforced when Rodgers claimed that he would participate in offseason workouts. Many veterans don’t feel the need to attend such workouts, but considering Rodgers is new to the facility, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio’s report that he plans on being present for “more than half” of the remaining offseason workouts is encouraging for Jets fans.
  • New York recently re-signed long snapper Thomas Hennessy to a four-year extension. The new deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a value of $5.97MM. The deal has a guaranteed amount of $1.96MM consisting of an $875K signing bonus and Hennessy’s first year base salary of $1.08MM. $670K of his 2024 salary is guaranteed for injury at signing, and the rest of the $1.21MM will become fully guaranteed on the fifth league day of the 2024 season. He’s set for base salaries of $1.26MM in 2025, $1.3MM in 2026, and $1.35MM in 2027, but the contract has a potential out built in after this season that would allow the Jets to cut Hennessy after this year with only $700K of dead cap.
  • The Jets recently included Southern Mississippi wide receiver Jason Brownlee in their group of undrafted free agents. New York was clearly eager to ink Brownlee, giving the rookie a $246K guarantee, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. That amount is the equivalent of the guarantee given to a low fifth-round pick.
  • With all their offensive line suffering so many injuries last year, the Jets were happy to have the help of veteran Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Now, with his contract expired, Duvernay-Tardif may have set his sights past football. The medical school graduate has been spinning several plates since the season ended, working shifts in the emergency department of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, starting a Masters of Public Health program at Harvard, and promoting a French skin care brand. Still, while Duvernay-Tardif maintains that medicine is still his future, he hasn’t committed to retiring claiming that he’s still in shape “if the phone rings in October.”

Jets Re-Sign LS Thomas Hennessy

April 28th, 2023 at 6:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

In advance of the second day of this year’s draft kicking off, the Jets have taken care of some special teams business. Long snapper Thomas Hennessy has signed a four-year extension, as noted (on Twitter) by his agency. The deal includes the most guaranteed money at the position around the league (which was previously the case for Cowboys snapper Joe Cardona, at $2.6MM).

The 28-year-old joined the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017, signing with the Colts. He was traded to the Jets later that offseason, though, and has remained in New York ever since. Hennessy has played in 98 games, making him the longest-tenure player on the team; he has yet to miss a contest during his career.

The Duke alum has been consistent during his time with the Jets, making multiple tackles in each season (and 20 in total). His track record in that department – and, more importantly, with respect to accurate snaps – has landed him another long-term extension. Hennessy inked a four-year, $4.4MM deal in 2019, and his level of play will allow him another, similar, pact.

The Jets re-signed kicker Greg Zuerlein last month, giving them familiarity at that position, as this Hennessy agreement will also do. New York reunited with veteran Thomas Morstead to handle punting duties, meaning their special teams battery is now in place for the 2023 campaign.

Jets To Extend LS Thomas Hennessy

October 5th, 2019 at 2:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although 2017 draft choices are not yet eligible for extensions, 2017 UDFAs are. The Jets took advantage of this by coming to terms with their long snapper.

Thomas Hennessy agreed to a four-year, $4.4MM extension, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will guarantee Gang Green’s third-year snapper $1.15MM — $625K in the form of a signing bonus — and tie him to the Jets through the 2023 season.

The Colts initially signed Hennessy as a UDFA two years ago but traded him to the Jets before the start of the 2017 season. He’s played in each of the Jets’ 35 games since. While there are no traditional stats to illustrate the 25-year-old specialist’s skill, the fact that his name does not come up often is probably a good sign.

Hennessy will move from a rookie contract to the going veteran snapper rate, becoming the 18th deep snapper to fall between the $1MM-$1.3MM salary range.

Jets, Colts Complete Trade

August 28th, 2017 at 10:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have traded long snapper Thomas Hennessy to the Jets in exchange for safety Ronald Martin. Both teams confirmed the deal via press release on Monday morning.

The Jets’ acquisition of Martin is a sign that they are not pleased with long snapper Tanner Purdum. Purdum, the longest-tenured player on the Jets’ roster, has a $400K guarantee on his contract but he has looked off throughout the summer. It seems possible that Purdum will be handed a pink slip between now and the 53-man deadline on Saturday.

Martin has appeared in eleven career games for the Jets over the last two years and also spent time on the practice squad. Martin first broke into the league undrafted free agent with the Seahawks in 2015. Collegiately, Martin played in 37 games at LSU and tallied 149 tackles, 20 passes defensed, five interceptions, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Hennessy, an undrafted free agent out of Duke, suited up for 52 games while with the Blue Devils. He played his high school football at New Jersey powerhouse Don Bosco Prep.

Colts Sign 18 Undrafted Players

May 4th, 2017 at 1:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced the signing of 18 undrafted players, bringing their roster to the 90-man max. Here’s the full list:

Sanchez has experience in both kicking and punting. Last year at Hawaii, he averaged 44.6 yards per punt and nailed all 13 of his field goal tries. According to Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter), Sanchez received a $12K bonus, which is rather high for a kicker.

Griffey is the son of baseball great Ken Griffey Jr. The wide receiver had 23 catches for 382 yards and two scores in his final season at Arizona.

Walker is Temple’s all-time leader in completions, passing yards, and touchdowns. In 2016, he threw for 3,295 yards with 22 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. His yardage and TD totals marked a career high.