Devery Henderson

At 42 years old, Devery Henderson has this physical status:

Devery Vaughn Henderson Jr. (born March 26, 1982) is a former American football wide receiver who spent 9 seasons with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).

The Louisiana-born Henderson played for Louisiana State University (LSU) where he and the Tigers won the 2004 BCS National Championship Game for the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season.

A few months later, the New Orleans Saints selected Henderson in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Henderson was part of the Saints' 2009 team that won Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts.

Early years

Henderson grew up in Opelousas, Louisiana, and attended Opelousas High School where he was a star for their highly rated track team. He attended LSU on a track and football scholarship.

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College career

On November 9, 2002, LSU's career came to a close. Henderson overcame the Kentucky Wildcats, making the famed "Bluegrass Miracle" deep pass from Marcus Randall to help them beat the Kentucky Wildcats 33-30. This game was also significant because Kentucky coach Guy Morriss had already been given the opulent "Gatorade shower" prior to the touchdown. The "Bluegrass Miracle" received an ESPY award the year after for "Best Play." Henderson received the award on behalf of the LSU Tigers.

Henderson had 23 catches for 447 yards with eight touchdowns in 2002, putting him out of position as a serious threat. Henderson was a member of LSU's 2003 BCS National Championship team during his senior season. After racking up 11 touchdowns and 861 yards on 53 receptions last year, he was named on the All-SEC Second Team.

Henderson was also a track star at Louisiana State University, where he competed for LSU's national championship track, was a member of the LSU's NCAA-qualifying 4 x 100 meters relay team, and was also a member of LSU's 2001 National Champion Indoor Track and Field team. He set the second-quickest 60-meter time in school history in his sophomore season, a record of 6.72 seconds.

Professional career

Henderson was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft with his 50th pick.

Henderson benefited from the regime change in New Orleans after his rookie year as Aaron Brooks was traded to Drew Brees at quarterback and Sean Payton took over as head coach. His figures improved over those of his rookie season (22 vs. 32), total yards (343 vs. 745), touchdowns (34.6 vs. 5), and touchdowns (3 vs. 5).

Devery had his best day as a professional in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on November 5, 2006, catching 3 passes for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns. On November 26, 2006, Henderson had 158 receiving yards on 5 plays, including a 76-yard touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons. As the Saints defeated the Dallas Cowboys 42–17 on NBC Sunday Night Football on December 10, 2006, Henderson intercepted two passes from Drew Brees for 92 yards and one touchdown.

Henderson re-signed with the Saints on March 2, 2009. Henderson had 7 catches for 63 yards en route to the Saints' victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV last year, and the Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

Henderson had a touchdown catch for 79 yards on September 18, 2011. In the Saints' 31-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers on October 8, 2012, he caught a touchdown pass from Drew Brees to equal Johnny Unitas' record of 47 straight games with a touchdown pass.

Henderson has a maximum of nearly 18 yards per catch (17.9625), the most among all active receivers for yards per catch with 200+ catches as of Week 17 of the 2012 NFL Season.

Henderson became a free agent following the 2012 season.

With 4377 yards, he is still the top-time Receiving Yards leader in Saints franchise history as of 2019.

Henderson signed with the Washington Redskins on June 12, 2013. On August 14, 2013, he was released by the team.

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