Before Hunter Renfrow inked a two-year, $32 million contract extension with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month, ESPN’s Jason Fitz had a hunch that the former Clemson star was about to get paid.
“I think that he, right now, is a top-three slot receiver in the NFL,” the ESPN radio, digital and TV host said on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast. “I think the Raiders are going to pay him wildly very soon.”
Fitz was right, as the Raiders gave Renfrow $21 million guaranteed in the new deal that will keep him under contract through the 2024 season.
The Raiders’ 2019 fifth-round pick earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2021 after what was a breakout third season in the NFL, when “The Slot Machine” set career highs and ranked among the top 10 in the league in receptions (103) and receiving touchdowns (nine), while also leading the team in receiving yards (1,038) – becoming the first Raiders receiver to record over 1,000 receiving yards in a season since 2016.
Renfrow’s 103 receptions last season marked the second-most in a single season by a receiver in Raiders history, one shy of the 104 catches that Hall of Famer Tim Brown had in 1997.
Renfrow reminds Fitz of Brown, and Fitz believes Renfrow will be catching passes in the NFL for quite a while.
“Renfrow has the ability to play for a very long time also because not only is he slick when it comes to getting open, he reminds me in this sense of Tim Brown – he avoids heavy contact all over the place,” Fitz said. “I think Renfrow’s an absolute star. The Raiders are going to have a top-three or -four offense in the NFL this year, and (Raiders quarterback) Derek Carr to Hunter Renfrow has become such a great connection, and that’s real.”
Renfrow has recorded 208 catches for 2,299 yards and 15 touchdowns across 46 games over his first three NFL seasons.
Fitz raved about Renfrow’s uncanny ability to make defenders look silly with his savvy route-running and the way he goes about his craft as a wide receiver.
“All of us that covered college football watched Hunter Renfrow make people look stupid. That’s what he does,” Fitz said. “He just makes people look dumb because he is so talented at what he does.”
FITZ KNEW!!! When @renfrowhunter got the 💰💰💰 last week, @jasonfitz told us a week before it was only a matter of time. 🏴☠️https://t.co/UGB8oYP8ct
Is Renfrow the best route runner in the #NFL??? pic.twitter.com/WduVyKFa3K
— Eric Mac Lain (@EricMacLain) June 15, 2022
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