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New Las Vegas Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler isn’t messing around. Instead of taking a roster that made the playoffs last season and blowing it up in service of a rebuild, the team has been big spenders. They added some notable players on big contracts like Davante Adams and Chandler Jones, but Ziegler has spent even more money locking up some of the team’s best players to long-term extensions.
Maxx Crosby and Derek Carr were the first to get signed, which left Hunter Renfrow next in line. With the Raiders spending so much money this offseason, it looked like Renfrow might have to wait a while to get his contract. Turns out, he didn’t have to wait too long. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Renfrow has landed a two-year extension worth $32 million, including $21 million worth of guarantees.
Renfrow came into the NFL as a fifth-round pick so he hasn’t made a ton of money up to this point. He’s now set to make $16 million a year, which is a steal for the Raiders. Los Angeles Rams slot receiver Cooper Kupp just received an extension that pays him over $26 million a year. Las Vegas should be thrilled that they got Renfrow for over $10 million less than Kupp.
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Renfrow Could Be Even Better Under McDaniels
Renfrow getting an extension shouldn’t come as a surprise. Carr said that he took less money on his contract to help get the wide receiver paid. Also, head coach Josh McDaniels is known as somebody who loves slot receivers. Some of the best slot receivers ever like Wes Welker and Julian Edelman were coached by McDaniels.
With Adams added to the mix, Renfrow might see the ball come his way less, but he should still be one of the most important pieces of the offense. The wide receiver recently had some praise for McDaniels.
“I think coach McDaniels is just very good at teaching the details of it,” Renfrow said. “I mean, it’s a lot of work and he puts a lot on them, but I think it can be rewarding if you buy into what he has to say. They’ve had some good receivers in the past (with the Patriots), so some of it is just being where you need to be and being consistent.”
Darren Waller up Next?
Now that Renfrow, Crosby and Carr are locked up, all eyes have turned towards Darren Waller. The star tight end still has two years left on his contract but he’s massively underpaid considering he’s one of the best in the NFL. There’s been speculation that the Raiders wouldn’t be able to pay Renfrow, Crosby, Carr and Waller, but Ziegler is proving that he knows what he’s doing with the salary cap.
While Waller would want to get paid now, he hasn’t threatened to hold out and has been showing up to offseason workouts. The Raiders don’t have any pressure to make a deal yet. If Waller can wait until next offseason, that’ll make things a lot easier for the team.
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