Hunter Renfrow inks contract extension with Las Vegas Raiders
Following the best season of his career in 2021, Hunter Renfrow has signed an extension on his contract with the Las Vegas Raiders. The former Clemson Tigers wideout signed a two-year extension worth $32 million, the most lucrative deal of his young career so far.
Last season, Renfrow led the Raiders with 103 receptions for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns. He finished top-10 in the league in catches and now, he’s making top-25 money.
From walk on to Raiders go-to man
Coming out of college, Renfrow went No. 149 to the Raiders in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He signed a rookie deal for four years worth $2.835 million.
He immediately began making an impact for the then-Oakland squad, raking up 605 yards as a rookie and 656 yards in 2020. With fewer pieces around him, for various reasons, Renfrow took over in 2021 as Derek Carr’s top target.
He made his first Pro Bowl as a third-year player in 2021. Renfrow was originally an alternate for the Pro Bowl. The first AFC selections were Tyreek Hill, Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs and Keenan Allen.
With his contract extension, the Raiders have made it clear they’re committed to the 26-year-old fan favorite.
The former Clemson receiver is best known among college football fans for his game-winning touchdown catch from quarterback Deshaun Watson. He caught the pass with one second remaining in the game in the 2017 College Football Playoff national title game. He finished his Tigers career with 186 catches for 2,133 yards and 15 touchdown catches after starting out as a walk on player.
Davante Adams praises new teammate
New Raiders wideout Davante Adams was very complimentary of Hunter Renfrow after the first week of mandatory minicamp.
“I’ve been around a lot of people like Hunter [Renfrow], but there’s never been a fourth-year [guy] with the type of football acumen that he has,” Adams said, via USA Today. “His awareness and understanding why he does certain things. Because, there’s people out there with a lot of talent, but they can’t sit there and break it down and tell you why they did what they did with their footwork, or the next rep why they tweaked it a little bit because of a look they had. So, his awareness, his football smarts, he’s definitely ahead of his time, so it’s actually fun.
“Sometimes I’ll be sitting there talking to him in the middle of an offensive meeting and we’ll be talking about releases, and he’ll be talking about what he thought. And I’m like, this is fun. This is fun being someone who’s a lot like me mentally in the way that he approaches the game and the way I attack it. Always trying to find those small nuances, whether it’s something the defense is doing or if it’s something I’m doing. It’s been great. I’ve been learning from him, he’s been learning from me.”