Derrick Henry is an early winner of NFL Free Agency without signing with his new team

The first few hours of NFL free agency have been wild as usual but things have been surprisingly active for the running back market as multiple big-name players have reportedly agreed to terms with different teams.

That doesn't include Derrick Henry as of yet but there's no questioning he already stands out as an early winner of Day 1 of free agency as prices at the position are higher than expected by media and fans. 

After a rough year in 2023, the running back market seems to be gaining some steam. Tony Pollard and D'Andre Swift each agreed to terms for $8 million per year, meaning Henry is likely to get a deal over the $10 million per year mark.

That's certainly more than he was expected to land: A to Z Sports projected his next contract to be worth $10 million APY while Pro Football Focus was even less optimistic at $9 million APY. Across the board, projections are falling short of the current prices being reported on for running backs.

An even more telling deal for Henry might be Saquon Barkley's, though. He is expected to sign with the Eagles for $12.58 million APY with the potential to be north of $15M APY with incentives. 

The fact that Barkley surpassed the franchise tag number is a massive win for Henry, whose market was always expected to be more in line with the former Giants running back as he's proven what he can do by averaging 4.7 yards per attempt in his career while averaging 1,188 yards per season plus 11.3 touchdowns per year. 

Wherever King Henry lands remains to be seen but based on the first few hours of free agency, he's already one of Monday's biggest winners.