Coming off of his most productive rushing season since 2020, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry just got an extra incentive to be even better in 2025.
Actor and comedian Adam Sandler promised Henry a movie role and a nice dinner together if the five-time Pro Bowler can rush for over 2,000 yards next season. Sandler sent the promise in the form of a video to the Dan Patrick Show one day after Henry told Patrick that the “Happy Gilmore” star was his favorite actor.
“If you ever see [Sandler] again, tell him I’m a really big fan, and I’d really love to meet him one day,” Henry told Patrick on Thursday.
Patrick responded with the terms of the bet right after – a 2,000-yard season for a movie role in one of Sandler’s next projects – but it wasn’t until Friday that the actor backed him up and confirmed the deal.
“Two-thousand yards plus this year gets you not only in the movie, but we have a nice dinner together,” Sandler said in the video.
Henry messaged Patrick after seeing Sandler’s video to express his gratitude: “That was really cool!” He also made sure to thank the actor for the additional push ahead of the season.
Dan you’re a real one ! 🙏🏾 & @AdamSandler is da 🐐‼️ I appreciate the extra motivation ! 💪🏾💪🏾😤🎬 https://t.co/7Z2XFK8pP6
— Derrick Henry (@KingHenry_2) June 6, 2025
Henry has rushed for 2,000 yards once before, in the aforementioned 2020 season with the Tennessee Titans that earned him an Offensive Player of the Year award.
In 16 games that season, Henry tallied 2,027 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 378 carries, all of which led the league. His 5.4 average yards per carry ranked third of all running backs with at least 150 attempts.
Last year, Henry’s first with Baltimore, the nine-year NFL veteran put up 1,921 yards on 325 carries (5.9 yards per carry, which led all running backs) and a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns.
If Henry dominates opposing defenses again in 2025, those defenders can put the blame on Sandler for giving the running back just one more reason to excel.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adam Sandler challenges Derrick Henry to rush for 2,000 yards