Many have forgotten, but the Las Vegas Raiders have two Pro Bowl receivers at the top of the depth chart. Obviously, Davante Adams is WR1 in the desert, but Hunter Renfrow is just one season removed from tallying 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns in his lone Pro Bowl year in 2021.
The Raiders have made a few changes since his breakout season. First, there was the Jon Gruden debacle. Then Rich Bisaccia didn’t get a second chance to prove his worth as the Raiders’ full-time head coach, with Josh McDaniels getting the job instead. Most recently, Derek Carr has been swapped out for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Yet, Renfrow remains. Like many other Raiders, Renfrow’s first year under McDaniels didn’t go according to plan. He battled an oblique injury and made it through just ten games, earning one start. His numbers also cut in half, with Renfrow recording just 330 yards on 36 receptions, an average of 33 yards per game as opposed to the 61.1 he recorded per contest in 2021.
With Renfrow seemingly taking a backseat in the Raiders’ offense last season, it’s possible a trade makes more sense for all parties. It’s something Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer recently touched on in a recent Q&A with his readers.
“I don’t know whether he (Hunter Renfrow) will, but I think there’s a chance it (a trade) will happen. The question is going to be which team has the interest, and the budget, both in cash and cap, to bring him in at this juncture of the offseason. Renfrow is due $11.55 million in cash this year and $11.88 million (nonguaranteed) in cash next year. Having to absorb that, for another team, would likely diminish the draft-pick package coming back.
Is someone desperate enough to pull the trigger on something like that? Maybe. I think it’ll take one of two things—either someone’s rookies don’t perform at the level expected or someone gets hurt—for the Raiders to get an offer enticing enough to pull the trigger. But I wouldn’t rule that out.”
NFL insider Albert Breer on possible Hunter Renfrow trade
Renfrow, who holds a $13.1 million cap number in 2023 and $13.7M in 2024, may not be in the team’s long-term plans. It gets more interesting after June 1, when the Raiders can receive as much as $11.2 million in cap savings by trading Renfrow elsewhere. Yet, as Breer alludes to, the Raiders can control how much salary they may be willing to cover in a potential trade.
It doesn’t mean Renfrow will be traded on June 2, or at all, but his contract structure could make the Raiders more likely to deal their star receiver should they get out to a bumpy start before the trade deadline this upcoming season. Or, if a team gets desperate for more wide receiver talent.