Henderson was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He attended Pearl-Cohn Comprehensive High School in Nashville, where he played defensive tackle and tight end for the Pearl Cohn Firebirds high school football team. His teams won back-to-back state championships during his junior and senior years. He was named All-State as a junior when he had 145 tackles and 15 sacks, along with 37 catches for 470 yards and 9 touchdowns. As a senior, he finished with 150 tackles and 2 sacks, to go with 45 catches for 560 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was also selected as a High School All-American by Parade magazine, USA Today, Blue Chip Illustrated, National Recruiting Advisor, and Super Prep. He was ranked as the 7th best high school player in The Sporting News Top 100 and was ranked 1st in the state of Tennessee by the Knoxville News Sentinel and the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Henderson also was named All-State in basketball.
College career
While attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Henderson played for coach Phillip Fulmer's Tennessee Volunteers football team from 1998 to 2001. At Tennessee, he lined up at left defensive tackle next to Albert Haynesworth. He played in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl, 2000 Cotton Bowl Classic, and 2001 Citrus Bowl. As a sophomore, Henderson recorded 43 tackles and four sacks in seven starts. As a junior, Henderson recorded 71 tackles and 12 sacks. He won the Outland Trophy as college football's top interior lineman and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American in 2000, having received first-team honors from the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, Football News, CNN/SI, and Rivals.com. After finishing with 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 10 starts, Henderson was again recognized as a consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 2001. He finished his college career with 165 tackles and 20.5 sacks, seven pass deflections, four forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries.
Henderson was the Jacksonville Jaguars' first-round pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. He finished his rookie season with 53 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, and 1 forced fumble in 16 games. In 2003, he had 56 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and 33 quarterback pressures in 16 starts. In 2004, he finished with 75 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 1 fumble recovery, and 39 QB pressures in 16 starts and was selected to his first Pro Bowl. In 2005, Henderson had 70 tackles, 3 sacks, 7 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and 20 QB pressures in 16 games. He also started in the Jaguars' lone playoff game and recorded 5 tackles and 1 sack. On March 21, 2006, Henderson signed a new 6 year, $34 million contract extension with the Jaguars through 2011. The contract also contains $13.4 million guaranteed. Henderson responded with 51 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6 pass deflections, and 7 QB pressures, as well as his 2nd Pro Bowl selection. He was also named an AP 2nd Team All-Pro. He was filmed by the NFL Network getting pumped up for a game by having a team trainer slap him in the face. In 2007, Henderson finished with 38 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, and 13 QB pressures in 15 starts, marking the first time in his career he did not play all 16 games. Henderson started both playoff games for the Jaguars, finishing with 9 tackles and 2 sacks. In March 2008, Henderson's good friend and fellow defensive tackle Marcus Stroud was traded to the Buffalo Bills. Henderson finished the 2008 season with 44 tackles, 2 sacks, and 2 pass deflections in 14 games. In the 2009 off-season, Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio was critical of Henderson for pulling out of OTAs, claiming he was faking a shoulder injury to avoid having to participate. Although many believed Henderson would be released, he met privately with Del Rio and claimed that he had "bought in". Henderson finished the 2009 season with 36 tackles, 3 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles. Henderson was released by the Jaguars on April 26, 2010.
On June 11, 2010, Henderson signed a one-year contract with the Oakland Raiders. On February 24, 2011, he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Raiders. Following the 2011 season, he was released on March 14, 2012.
NFL statistics
Personal life
Henderson is married to Aleviar Henderson and has two sons and two daughters. In 2007, Henderson opened a clothing store in Jacksonville called "4 Big Men by Big Hen" that sold big and tall clothing. However, the store was later closed. In 2013, Henderson opened a restaurant in Jacksonville called "Big John's Crumpy's Wings & Things". The menu features whole wings, burgers and a large selection of southern fare. However, the restaurant closed in 2015. The franchise hails from Memphis, Tennessee.
