Getty Las Vegas Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow.
The Las Vegas Raiders are set to have one of the NFL’s fiercest passing attacks after trading for Davante Adams in the offseason. He’ll now form a lethal receiving trio with tight end Darren Waller and slot wide receiver Hunter Renfrow. Waller and Renfrow have been major points of focus for opposing defenses over the last two seasons as they’ve been the team’s most consistent receiving options.
Now that Adams can demand a lot of that attention, Waller and Renfrow could have an easier time getting open. Renfrow hasn’t had a chance to speak on the trade until now. He discussed how the addition of the five-time Pro Bowl helps the entire team.
“Davante’s gonna open up the field for everybody … him and Waller and Bryan [Edwards] certainly, and DeMarcus Robinson, Mack Hollins, we brought in a bunch of good players and so, just having him as the best receiver in the NFL, is really going to elevate all of us,” Renfrow told Raiders.com. “It’s really gonna elevate all of us on a gameday basis. … Just having a guy of that caliber on your team to trade notes with and just look at every day, it’s going to be special for me and I’m going to soak it up for however long I’m with him.”
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Will Renfrow’s Production Take a Dip This Season?
Renfrow went on an absolute tear to end the Raiders’ 2021 season. He had 514 receiving yards over the last seven games and was a big reason the team got into the playoffs. He finished the year with 1,038 receiving yards, which was the first time in college or the NFL that he broke 1,000 yards.
Renfrow has always been a good receiver but he proved last year that he’s one of the best in the league. However, it’s hard to imagine that his production holds up next season. A big reason he saw so many targets was due to Waller being injured and missing games. If the tight end is healthy and Adams is playing, Renfrow is going to see the ball a lot less. That said, it will also be difficult for defenses to put a lot of focus on him so he’ll have a lot more easy looks. He should still be in for a big season even if he doesn’t reach the heights that he did last year.
Renfrow Extension Is Important Storyline
The Raiders have been on a spending spree this offseason with the signings of Adams and Chandler Jones, and then the extensions given to Maxx Crosby and Derek Carr. The team is probably out of money to spend big on anybody else but Renfrow is next in line.
He’s heading into a contract year but doesn’t appear like he’ll hold out for a better deal. It’s likely that the Raiders want to extend him but there’s only so much new general manager Dave Ziegler can do in one offseason. Renfrow will get paid eventually but he may have to wait until next offseason.
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