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The Las Vegas Raiders have been unafraid to move on from fan-favorite players this offseason. Key players like Derek Carr, Darren Waller, Foster Moreau and Denzel Perryman are all gone and won’t be coming back. This has led to much speculation that the team will eventually trade away wide receiver Hunter Renfrow.
He’s just a year removed from catching 103 passes and making a Pro Bowl but was largely ineffective last season. He only played in 10 games due to injury and had 36 catches. Many thought Renfrow would be a perfect fit in Josh McDaniels‘ offense but that might not be the case. The team signed Jakobi Meyers in free agency, who is another slot receiver. If Las Vegas doesn’t plan to utilize multiple slot receivers, Renfrow is the obvious man out. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes the Raiders should trade the wide receiver while he still has value:
These new additions could further reduce Renfrow’s role to the point that he’s simply more valuable as a trade piece. He should bring a solid return from a team seeking a steady slot specialist, and Las Vegas would save $7 million in 2023 cap space by moving him.
Yes, this front office chose to pay Renfrow, but it didn’t draft him. Ziegler and McDaniels seem intent on constructing “their” roster, and getting picks and/or players back for Renfrow could help them do exactly that.
Renfrow Had Canceled Media Appearance
Renfrow hasn’t spoken to the media all offseason. Considering how close he was with Carr and some of the other players who were let go, it’d be interesting to hear what he has to say. That was supposed to happen on Wednesday, June 7. Renfrow was scheduled to speak to the media after organized team activities but he didn’t end up showing up, according to ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez.
It’s unclear exactly why Renfrow missed his media availability. He was at practice but left early for an undisclosed reason. It could be nothing but considering the trade rumors surrounding his name, it certainly raised some eyebrows.
Is Renfrow Getting Traded Soon?
It’s difficult to get a gauge on what the Raiders plan to do with Renfrow. McDaniels isn’t a reliable source of information as he said he has big plans for Waller just weeks before the tight end got traded. There hasn’t been anything concrete regarding a possible trade but the writing could be on the wall.
The team did give him a contract extension just a year ago but they had to imagine he’d have more of an impact last season. Renfrow is one of the best route runners in the NFL but he’s very small, even for a slot receiver. One thing that has made him so effective is his ability to create and improvise his own routes. McDaniels likes to have total control of his offense so having players improvise isn’t his style. Renfrow could just be a bad fit with the coach. The Raiders aren’t likely to get a big haul in a trade. Not even DeAndre Hopkins could get the Arizona Cardinals anything in a trade. The Raiders might be smarter to keep Renfrow for now, let him make some big plays during the season and then deal him to wide receiver-needy team before the trade deadline. That would likely yield the best return for him if they don’t think he’s part of the long-term plans.
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