Hunter Renfrow is very thankful when he thinks about the two-year, $32 million contract extension that he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders last week, and the former Clemson wide receiver is certainly happy to be staying in Vegas as a member of Raider Nation for at least the next three seasons.
“It feels amazing,” Renfrow said of the multi-year extension in an interview with Raiders.com’s Eddie Paskal. “I think gratitude is the first thing that pops into my mind – gratitude to my family, gratitude to former coaches, former teammates, people who raised me, Raider Nation. Just a whole different level of gratitude, and just so honored to be a part of Raider Nation and to kind of carry the tradition and try to go win as many games as we can. And every single day, just trying to get better.”
Renfrow could have opted to play out this season and then become a free agent in 2023, but the 26-year-old explained why he decided to instead ink a new deal with the Raiders before the 2022 campaign that will keep him under contract through the 2024 season.
“When you decide if you want to do an extension or you want to play out a year and test the free agency market, you think about, I could be in Minnesota, I could be here, I could there, I could be back closer to home in Carolina. I mean, you could be literally all over the country and with so many different people that you’ve never met,” Renfrow said.
“The thing that I kept going back to was I love my teammates, I love Raider Nation, we love Vegas, and so that for me personally, I felt like God was pushing me back to Vegas, and I’m so glad that we got it done.”
Renfrow feels a sense of relief to have his contract situation taken care of so he can focus on trying to help his team win games as he heads into his fourth season with the Raiders and first under new head coach Josh McDaniels.
“That was a big part of it, was trying to just get it done,” Renfrow said. “This is a good month to kind of reflect, and I didn’t want to be thinking about contract stuff. I’d rather be thinking about the season and what we need to do to win games, to take that next step.
“And as we’re really just growing… we’ve been on a journey the last three years since I’ve been here, but with Coach McDaniels and a new staff coming in kind of brings a different element. So, laying the foundation with that, and just kind of visualizing the season this next month. So, glad to get it done. Very thankful and appreciative. But it’s going to be a fun month, this next month, getting ready for the season.”
An original walk-on at Clemson who earned a scholarship in August 2015 and put together a legendary career as a Tiger, Renfrow finished his college career with 186 receptions for 2,133 yards and 15 touchdowns over 55 games before being drafted by the Raiders in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft (149th overall).
In his first three NFL seasons, Renfrow has recorded 208 catches for 2,299 yards and 15 touchdowns across 46 games and had a career year in 2021 when he tallied 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl selection.
Renfrow was asked by Paskal what the biggest difference is between Renfrow as a rookie and the player who just signed a big new contract.
“That’s a good question because I really haven’t reflected that much on that part of it,” Renfrow said. “I feel, in some ways, I’m the same player. I feel like I’ve gotten some more opportunities. I’m very thankful to Coach Gruden (former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden) and that staff for helping me develop. I’m very thankful for Derek (Raiders quarterback Derek Carr) for staying with me for so long. I’d run so many bad routes for so long, and he’s like, ‘Keep with it, keep with it,’ and let me be a little creative.
“So, I think I’m similar in that aspect but also different in just overall knowledge of the game. Every year you play, you get a new appreciation and a new gratification from just being in the NFL. We’re going into Year 4 and the average is two, three years playing in the NFL. So, you kind of realize the blessings that you have. So, for me, just be able to go out there and in the offseason when it’s hot and I’m training, I can just kind of reassure myself that God has me right where he wants me.”
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
