It's undeniable that Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is one of the most dominant - if not the most dominant rushers in the NFL. In 2024, he came up just short of the league's rushing title, finishing with 1,921 yards, 84 behind Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley.
The Alabama product, entering his 10th NFL season, has only cracked 2,000 rushing yards once in his career (2020). On Thursday, he received the best motivation and incentive to repeat that feat in 2025 from one of the most unlikely sources.
Award-winning actor and comedian Adam Sandler recorded a video message for Henry in which he challenged the Ravens rusher to hit 2,000 yards. The incentive? Reach that goal and Henry will be cast in one of Sandler's upcoming film projects.
Adam Sandler's keeping his side of the bet... now it's your turn @KingHenry_2! @Ravens RB Derrick Henry reacts to his favorite actor, @AdamSandler, promising him a spot in an upcoming movie with a 2,000 yard season in 2025 👀 pic.twitter.com/5PaSboZczI
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) June 6, 2025
"Two thousand yards-plus this year not only gets you in a movie, but we'll have a nice dinner together and talk about Dan Patrick's facial hair and how hard it is for him to grow it," Sandler said in the video. "I love ya and keep it up."
Adam Sandler's challenge could spark Derrick Henry to one of his best NFL seasons
This creative deal originated on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Tuesday when the show's namesake promised to get Henry into one of Sandler's movies after learning the Happy Gilmore and The Waterboy star was the rusher's favorite actor.
Sandler got wind of that information and followed through on Patrick's promise. Henry, after viewing the video message, had a simple response.
"All right, cool. Say no more," he said at Ravens optional team activities (OTAs). He also took to X to write an appreciative message to both Patrick and Sandler.
If Henry were to reach 2,000 rushing yards for the second time in his career, he'd become the first player in NFL history to ever achieve that feat. It would be quite the story to see that play out on the gridiron all because of a friendly challenge from Sandler. Perhaps it could result in the production of The Waterboy 2?