Hunter Renfrow

Raiders Release WR Hunter Renfrow

March 14th, 2024 at 8:34am CST by Sam Robinson

MARCH 14: As expected, the Garoppolo release will be classified as a post-June 1 cut. The Raiders will pick up $24MM in cap space (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur) as a result, though the money will not be available for nearly three months, and the designation will spread out the dead cap stemming from the 2023 signing over two offseasons.

MARCH 13: The Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo release will come to pass today, but the Silver and Black are also moving on from another offensive cog who has not lived up to his contract. They are set to release Hunter Renfrow, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The team has since made the Renfrow and Garoppolo releases official as well.

Given a two-year, $32MM deal during the 2022 offseason, Renfrow strangely fell out of favor while on that contract. Trade efforts last year producing no deal will lead to the veteran slot receiver becoming a street free agent today. Renfrow was set to earn an $11.2MM base salary next season.

Although the Raiders did not get much out of the Clemson alum following his 1,000-yard season — which played a central role in their Rich Bisaccia-overseen playoff berth — they will save more than $8MM with this release. Since his 1,038-yard 2021 slate, Renfrow has combined for just 585 yards over the past two seasons. This will go down as a notable mistake during the brief Josh McDaniels era, as Renfrow proved ill-fitting in the Raiders’ most recent offensive scheme despite McDaniels and Dave Ziegler signing off on the extension.

The Raiders shopped Renfrow at the 2023 deadline, doing so as Mark Davis became resigned to another staff overhaul. Prior to the McDaniels and Ziegler firings, they could not convince any team to take on Renfrow’s remaining base salary. Las Vegas did not want to eat any salary to move Renfrow last year. The team resumed its effort to trade the former Jon Gruden draftee this offseason, but nothing came to pass. Renfrow, 28, will join Tyler Boyd and Curtis Samuel among available slot receivers on the market.

Renfrow poses as an interesting candidate for a bounce-back deal, given his production under Gruden and down the stretch in 2021. The former fifth-round pick strung together back-to-back 600-plus-yard seasons in 2019 and ’20, becoming the Raiders’ top complement — as their Antonio Brown move combusted before the 2019 season — to Darren Waller in those years. With Waller sidelined for a chunk of the 2021 stretch run, Derek Carr turned to Renfrow as his top chain-mover. The Saints would profile as a potentially interested party, but Renfrow has not put much in the way of quality on tape over the past two seasons.

Raiders To Continue Exploring Hunter Renfrow Trade

February 18th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Rory Parks

The Raiders will continue their efforts to trade wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, as Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes. The club tried to deal Renfrow in advance of the 2023 trade deadline, but the guaranteed money that remained on the slot man’s contract proved to be a deterrent for interested teams.

Now, however, the only money left on Renfrow’s deal is his non-guaranteed base salary of $11.15MM. As the Clemson product is coming off of back-to-back disappointing seasons, that number would be just as untenable for an acquiring club as it would be for the Raiders, but the contract should be easy enough to re-work in order to make a trade happen.

And it stands to reason that there will be some degree of interest in Renfrow’s services. In 2021, the Jon Gruden–Mike Mayock draftee posted a 103/1,038/9 line that earned him a Pro Bowl nod and a two-year, $32MM extension in June 2022. While the since-deposed Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler partnership signed off on that investment, Renfrow proved to be a poor fit in McDaniels’ offense.

Shortly after Antonio Pierce took over for McDaniels midway through the 2023 season, Renfrow showed some flashes of his former self, including a three-game stretch in which he posted 12 catches for 126 yards. Those totals represented about half of his output for the entire season — he ended the year with 25 catches for 255 yards — but from Weeks 16 through 18, he appeared in just 28 total snaps and was not targeted once.

Still, Renfrow profiles as an intriguing change-of-scenery candidate for a team in need of a slot weapon, especially since he just turned 28 in December and is not too far removed from Pro Bowl-level production.

“[Renfrow is] an NFL-caliber wide receiver,” Pierce said last month (via Heavy.com). “He’s a starting receiver. He’s a really good football player.”

Bonsignore confirms that if the Raiders cannot find a trade partner, they will release Renfrow (assuming the two sides are not interested in coming to terms on a pay reduction). Due to void years in Renfrow’s contract, Las Vegas would be saddled with a $5.5MM dead money charge if he is cut with a pre-June 1 designation, though such a move would also create $8.2MM of cap savings.

AFC Trade Rumors: Patriots, Broncos, Renfrow

October 31st, 2023 at 10:15pm CST by Ely Allen

The Patriots fielded lots of calls for trade offers during today’s trade deadline, but two of the bigger names on their roster reportedly received no interest. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, teams called New England to take the temperature on pass rusher Josh Uche, safety Kyle Dugger, and tackle Michael Onwenu, while quarterback Mac Jones and veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott didn’t receive any nibbles.

Uche, Dugger, and Onwenu are all facing contract-years, so they all held a decent chance of being dealt. Uche was reportedly the most likely, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. After a couple quiet years to start his career, Uche burst onto the scene in 2022, combining with Matt Judon for half of the team’s 54 sacks last year. Mike Dugar of The Athletic reports that the Seahawks held serious interest in Uche “with talks going pretty deep,” but ultimately, landed Leonard Williams from New York instead. With Seattle filling their defensive line need with Williams, Uche will remain in New England.

As will, Jones and Elliott. It’s unclear how serious the Patriots were, if at all, about seeking trade partners for the two offensive contributors. The team will face a fifth-round option decision for Jones before next year, while Elliott will become a free agent at the end of the season.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC, starting out West:

It was a similar scene up in Mile High, where the Broncos decided not to move any of their potential trade assets due to a lack of serious interest. While the team reportedly did receive offers on players like receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, they didn’t gauge the offers as good enough to move on, per Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report. Mike Klis of 9NEWS relayed that the team is “confident in its group of players.” While it seemed the team may be willing to dive into a rebuild, beating a sick Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs may have convinced them otherwise.
Remaining in the West, the Raiders were unable to find a buyer for wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, to little surprise. Las Vegas gave Renfrow a big-money extension after his Pro Bowl season and has diminished his role severely ever since. So far this year, Renfrow has been on the field for over half of the Raiders’ offensive snaps in only three games. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, the remaining guaranteed money in Renfrow’s contract prevented any teams from fully following through on their interest in the veteran receiver. With Renfrow staying put and the many sources shooting down reports of wide receiver Davante Adams wanting out of Vegas, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders stood pat at the trade deadline.

Raiders Trying To Trade WR Hunter Renfrow; Latest On Josh McDaniels’ Job Status

October 22nd, 2023 at 9:10am CST by Rory Parks

OCTOBER 22: While owner Mark Davis told Russini at the annual fall meetings last week that the team is trying to win and not sell, Renfrow remains available (subscription required). The problem, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes in a subscriber-only piece, is the $10.82MM in salary and roster bonuses that Renfrow is due this year. A little over half of that amount would become the responsibility of an acquiring team if Renfrow were dealt at the deadline, and the Raiders are presently unwilling to pick up any portion of the tab to facilitate a deal.

If the Raiders and another club can come to terms on the financial components of a trade, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports hears that Renfrow could be had for nothing more than a late-round selection.

OCTOBER 15: The Raiders would like to add a pass rusher in advance of the October 31 trade deadline — preferably without sacrificing any draft picks — and they are apparently willing to do some selling as well. Per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required), the club is trying to deal wide receiver Hunter Renfrow.

That represents a departure from the team’s stance in July, when it was reported that the Raiders were not shopping the 27-year-old slot man. Of course, even if Las Vegas was not actively calling teams to discuss a Renfrow trade, it has been clear for some time that GM Dave Ziegler and HC Josh McDaniels are willing to move the Mike Mayock draftee. Indeed, a report from May indicated that Renfrow would almost certainly be elsewhere by 2024, the last year of his current deal.

In 2022, the first year of the McDaniels/Ziegler partnership in Las Vegas, Renfrow took a major step back from the 103/1,038/9 line that earned him a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and a two-year, $32MM extension last June. While Ziegler and McDaniels signed off on that investment, Renfrow has proven to be a poor fit in McDaniels’ offense, especially since McDaniels cut down on the route improvisations that Jon Gruden encouraged. The fact that Renfrow was limited to 10 games in 2022 due to a number of injury concerns certainly did not help matters.

This season, the Clemson product has appeared in all five of the Raiders’ games but has seen just nine targets, which he has converted into six receptions for 59 yards. On the other hand, his abilities, youth, and Pro Bowl pedigree would make him an attractive change-of-scenery prospect for any number of teams. While his $11.15MM base salary for 2024 is a bit hefty in light of his 2022-23 output, that number could easily be lowered with an extension or could be removed entirely if Renfrow struggles in new environs.

At the risk of burying the lede, Russini has heard whispers that McDaniels’ job could be in jeopardy if the 2-3 Raiders do not start winning more games. It is unclear, however, whence those whispers emanate, and the fact that McDaniels does not wish to trade draft capital to acquire a pass rusher, is prepared to part ways with a talented wideout for what would presumably be minimal compensation, and considered a trade-down manuever in the first round of the 2023 draft suggests that he is not overly concerned about his job status.

For what it’s worth, owner Mark Davis offered an emphatic endorsement of McDaniels in November, though it does not appear Davis gave McDaniels any guarantees that he would remain the Raiders’ HC into 2024.

Raiders Haven’t Shopped WR Hunter Renfrow

July 22nd, 2023 at 11:28am CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders added a number of wideouts this offseason who are capable of playing slot receiver, leaving Hunter Renfrow‘s spot on the roster in doubt. However, it sounds like the wide receiver will be staying put, at least temporarily. According to Tashan Reed of The Athletic, the Raiders haven’t been shopping Renfrow.

This news helps twist the narrative a bit, as previous reports indicated that the Raiders hadn’t garnered any interest in their veteran wideout. Indeed, Reed notes that’s still the case, as the front office still hasn’t “received any trade offers for him.”

The Raiders’ big move at the position was signing Jakobi Meyers away from the Patriots, but the team also added slot-capable receivers in DeAndre Carter, Phillip Dorsett, and rookie third-round pick Tre Tucker. With Davante Adams also prime to bounce around the offense, Renfrow has seemed like a natural candidate to be the odd man out.

Following a breakout, Pro Bowl season in 2021, Renfrow took a bit of a step back in 2022. Limited to only 10 games thanks in part to a concussion, the receiver finished with 36 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns. Renfrow inked a two-year, $32MM deal with the Raiders last offseason, and he’s set to earn more than $13MM in 2023. The team could save around $7MM in cap space by trading the wideout before the regular season begins.

As Reed notes, Renfrow is well regarded in the locker room, and at only 27 years old, he still has plenty of good football in front of him. As a result, the Raiders may simply roll into the season with a deep WRs room and bite the bullet from a financial perspective.

Raiders Have Not Received Calls On WR Hunter Renfrow

June 9th, 2023 at 3:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Hunter Renfrow appeared to be part of the Raiders’ long-term plans not long ago, but the 2022 season did not go according to plan. While speculation has linked the wideout to a trade out of Las Vegas, such a move should not be expected at this point.

The 27-year-old inked a two-year, $32MM deal last summer, after he enjoyed a career-year in 2021. Renfrow posted 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns on 103 catches that year, earning him a Pro Bowl nod and putting him in line for a considerable raise. Expectations were elevated heading into last season, but injuries and a poor scheme fit in Josh McDaniels‘ offense emerged as issues.

Renfrow was limited to 10 games in 2022, and he posted a statline of 36-330-2. Given the team’s other moves at the receiver spot (highlighted by the signing of Jakobi Meyers and draft addition of third-rounder Tre Tucker), the strong possibility has been raised of a trade sending Renfrow elsewhere this offseason. A fresh start could be beneficial to team and player, but interest has not picked up on the trade front to date.

Vegas has yet to receive an offer for Renfrow, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic (subscription required). As a result, he adds that noting is considered imminent with respect to a trade taking place. The Clemson alum has no guranteed money on his deal in 2024, the point at which negotiations for an extension or a re-worked contract would likely take place. That would make a Renfrow acquisition essentially a one-year rental, something which no doubt hurts his value in a swap.

The situation could certainly change in the near future, but as things currently stand any potential Renfrow exchange would take place closer to the midseason trade deadline. A performance putting him closer to his 2021 production up to that point for the veteran slot operator could lead to an increase in interest, though a strong showing could also lead to a desire on the Raiders’ part to retain him.

Vegas and Renfrow both have questions to answer during the 2023 season, as they each look to move on from disappointing campaigns last year. For now, at least, they appear likely to enter the campaign together, although trade rumors could persist depending on which adjustments (if any) are made to present Renfrow with better opportunities in the Raiders’ revamped pass-catching corps.

Raiders Rumors: Adams, Renfrow, OL

May 19th, 2023 at 1:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after the Raiders’ plan to separate from Derek Carr surfaced, Davante Adams indicated he was not planning to make an effort to follow his ex-college teammate out the door. Adams is signed through 2026 on what is still the NFL’s second-most lucrative receiver deal. The Raiders have made some changes this offseason, most notably replacing Carr with Jimmy Garoppolo. Adams made some cryptic comments about the franchise’s direction this week.

“[The front office] thinks this is the best bet for us right now to put us in a position to be urgent,” Adams said regarding the team’s offensive vision, via The Ringer’s Mirin Fader. “We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now. … I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible. It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”

Rumored to be potentially kept in the loop regarding the Raiders’ big-picture decisions, Adams expressed hesitancy regarding his fit with Garoppolo. The veteran quarterback is tied to the Raiders through at least 2023, due to his $33.75MM guarantee, and may well be a multiyear Las Vegas starter, seeing as the team did not draft a quarterback.

“It all depends on the style of ball that we play,” Adams said. “If we play a certain brand of ball, I can get [Garoppolo] to conform to whatever. But if we use him a certain type of way, then it’s going to make it tough for us to maximize who we should be this year.”

For what it’s worth, Adams shared a photo with GM Dave Ziegler after that interview surfaced. Adams, who will turn 31 later this year, earned his third straight first-team All-Pro honor last season. He will team with Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow and UFA addition Jakobi Meyers as Garoppolo’s lead supporting cast. Here is the latest out of Vegas:

While Ziegler and Josh McDaniels signed off on Renfrow’s two-year, $32MM extension during the 2022 offseason, the veteran slot player delivered underwhelming early returns in McDaniels’ system. After Renfrow’s 1,038-yard 2021 showing helped drive the Raiders into the playoffs, he managed just 330 in 10 games last year. Since giving Renfrow that extension, the Raiders have signed Meyers to an $11MM-per-year deal and drafted slot target Tre Tucker in Round 3. Pegging the odds of Renfrow being elsewhere by 2024 as “90%,” The Athletic’s Vic Tafur notes he joined Darren Waller in being a poor fit for McDaniels’ offense (subscription required). McDaniels also cut down on Renfrow’s route improvisations, which were encouraged under Jon Gruden. Trading Renfrow in 2024 (when his base salary spikes to $11.2MM) would save the Raiders $8MM.
The Raiders have surprisingly made it to mid-May without adding a starter-caliber outside free agent on their offensive line. That might not be the case by training camp. Citing the team’s potential to add a veteran guard or tackle, Tafur adds he would be “shocked” if Alex Bars remained the team’s right guard starter. Pro Football Focus rated Bars, a former Bears UDFA, as the Raiders’ worst starting O-lineman by a wide margin last season. Guard Dalton Risner remains unsigned, as do Rodger Saffold, Pat Elflein, A.J. Cann and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Longtime Raider Gabe Jackson, whom Gruden traded to the Seahawks in 2021, is also available. The Raiders also showed interest in Paris Johnson, per Tafur. Although the Cardinals discussed a deal with the Raiders for the No. 7 pick, Arizona moving ahead of Vegas for No. 6 (to take Johnson) makes sense.
The team re-signed right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor but also brought back 2021 right tackle starter Brandon Parker, who missed last year with an injury. Eluemunor will also be a candidate to slide to guard, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore, after having played there in the past. That would be an internal way to upgrade from Bars. Second-year tackle Thayer Munford and Justin Herron, one of many ex-Patriots in Vegas, stand to factor in for the RT gig.

Raiders Activate TE Darren Waller, WR Hunter Renfrow

December 17th, 2022 at 4:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Derek Carr and the Raiders offense will be getting some significant reinforcement. The Raiders have activated tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow from injured reserve, reports ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).

Waller hasn’t seen the field since October but it took the front office a month to finally place him on IR, delaying his required four-game absence. After two-straight 1,000-yard campaigns in 2019 and 2020, Waller was limited to 665 receiving yards in 11 games in 2021. His hamstring injury has limited him to only five appearances in 2022, with the former Pro Bowler hauling in 16 receptions for 175 yards and one score. Waller inked a three-year, $51MM extension with the Raiders back in September.

Renfrow has dealt with a handful of injuries in 2022, limiting him to 21 receptions in six games before being sidelined. The 26-year-old was coming off a breakout campaign in 2021 that saw him haul in 103 receptions en route to a Pro Bowl nod. The wideout inked a $32MM deal with the organization during the offseason.

Without Waller and Renfrow in the lineup, the Raiders have been leaning heavily on Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, with both players having already topped 1,000 yards from scrimmage. The Raiders second-leading receiver this season has been Mack Hollins, who has hauled in 47 catches for 588 yards and three touchdowns.

The Raiders made a handful of additional moves as they prepare for tomorrow’s game against the Patriots. Las Vegas promoted offensive linemen Sebastian Gutierrez and Jordan Meredith to the active roster. To make room for today’s transaction, the Raiders cut wide receiver DJ Turner and tight end Jacob Hollister.

Raiders’ Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow Return To Practice

December 14th, 2022 at 3:39pm CST by Adam La Rose

Reinforcements are on the way for the Raiders on offense. Vegas has designated both tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow to return from IR (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

Waller has been out since mid-October, but it was not until one month after his most recent game played that the Raiders placed him on IR. A lingering hamstring injury has limited the Pro Bowler to just five contests in 2022, putting a significant dent in the team’s potential in the passing game. It also marked an unwanted beginning to his time after signing a three-year, $51MM extension in September.

Negotiations over a new deal dominated the summer, one in which the Raiders finalized a number of big-money contracts. Waller established himself as a preeminent tight end during the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, eclipsing 1,100 yards each year. Injuries limited him to 11 contests in 2021, however, and this season has obviously not gone according to plan. A return to the field, if not to his dominant form, could do wonders for the 30-year-old individually, and the Raiders’ offense as a whole.

Given the fact that Renfrow was placed on IR on the same day as Waller, it comes as little surprise that the pair are returning to practice simultaneously. The slot receiver was shut down while dealing with a myriad of injuries, and has suited up for six total games over the course of the season. His summer also included contract talks, and ended in a $32MM deal which came off the back of his Pro Bowl campaign in 2021. That, coupled with the addition of Davante Adams, led to significant expectations for the Raiders’ pass-catchers.

The team ranks just 12th in the league with an average of 246 passing yards per game, however, a sign of the inconsistency which has helped lead to a disappointing 5-8 record. Part of their middling performance can be attributed, of course, to the absence of Waller and Renfrow. Their return in the near future will help Vegas in their attempt to generate momentum at the end of the season, and leave the team with two IR activations available to be used.

Raiders To Place Hunter Renfrow On IR

November 10th, 2022 at 1:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Both of Davante Adams‘ top sidekicks will miss at least the next four games. Following the decision to place Darren Waller on IR, the Raiders will move Hunter Renfrow to the injury list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Renfrow is dealing with an oblique injury, per Schefter. He appeared on Las Vegas’ injury report with hamstring and rib injuries, getting in a limited practice Wednesday. Rather than aim to fight through these maladies to face the Colts, Renfrow will be shut down until at least Week 14.

Unlike Waller, Renfrow has been available in recent weeks. The fourth-year slot receiver’s two missed games occurred in Weeks 3 and 4. Upon returning, however, Renfrow has not come close to the pace he was on in Jon Gruden‘s offense. The recently extended receiver has just 21 catches for 192 yards and no touchdowns in six games this season. Renfrow, 26, caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns last season, putting the former Day 3 draftee in position for a big 2022 payday.

The Raiders went to great lengths to lock in their top aerial personnel long term this offseason. They completed a tag-and-trade exchange with the Packers for Adams and gave him a then-record-setting five-year, $140MM extension. Derek Carr signed next, with Renfrow’s deal following during the summer. Just before Week 1, the team completed complex negotiations to finalize Waller’s contract.

Renfrow’s contract is the shortest, running through 2024. But he is tied to a $16MM-per-year accord, separating him from most pure slot players. The early returns in Josh McDaniels‘ offense have disappointed. Despite McDaniels’ Patriots attack churning out All-Pro seasons from Wes Welker and quality work from his successor (Julian Edelman), Renfrow has not taken flight. The Raiders have leaned more on low-cost free agency addition Mack Hollins compared to their well-paid slot. Hollins should be expected to shoulder more of the workload going forward, though the Raiders are not in a contending position at the midseason point.

The Adams-Waller-Renfrow trio has played just 62 snaps together this season, per The Athletic’s Tashan Reed (on Twitter). Adams also faces a possible suspension for shoving a cameraman following the Raiders’ last-second loss to the Chiefs. The Raiders have slunk to 2-6, losing a Week 8 shutout in New Orleans and blowing a 17-point lead in Jacksonville.

Despite his underwhelming start as Raiders HC, McDaniels is not believed to be on the hot seat. But his prospects for fielding a consistent offense took a major hit with Thursday’s developments. The Raiders have Hollins in place as a key auxiliary target. Keelan Cole and DJ Turner are the only other wideouts on the active roster. That will change soon. The Raiders traded their 2022 first-round pick for Adams, but they have their 2023 top choice. Considering the team’s record and minimized offensive personnel, that suddenly becomes more relevant.

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