Hunter Renfrow can be removed from the class of 2019 wide receivers headed for free agency. The Raiders have signed him to a two-year extension worth $32 million, with $21 million guaranteed.
The deal ties Renfrow to Las Vegas through 2024. He’s got a $2.6 million cap hit for this year, then the extension kicks in. If he completes the deal, he’ll average about $11.5 million over the next three seasons.
Seems like a good deal to me. The Raiders avoid the worry of somebody throwing a big offer at him next spring. For Renfrow, probably best to move now, with the combined risks of a potential injury or a steep decline in production. He caught 103 passes last year, and it will be hard for him to come within 20 of that total (with the team having added Davante Adams).
So remove Renfrow from the list of receivers drafted in 2019 who are entering the final seasons of their rookie contracts. DK Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, Diontae Johnson and Deebo Samuel, most notably, are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next spring (all were drafted outside the first round, so the fifth-year option doesn’t apply with these guys). All of those guys would prefer to sign extensions now (as evidenced by Metcalf, McLaurin and Samuel skipping some offseason work). Parris Campbell and Mecole Hardman were also drafted in 2019 but don’t pack the same sizzle.
Renfrow doesn’t get downfield for many big plays, but he’s a reliable option on shorter routes. He caught 103 of the 128 passes thrown his way last year. In the last 40 years (and probably ever) only one other wide receiver with at least 100 targets has caught over 80 percent of the passes thrown his way.
| WIDE RECEIVERS CATCHING 75 PERCENT OF PASS ATTEMPTS | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | No | Yards | Avg | TD | Pct |
| 2018 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 147 | 125 | 1,405 | 11.2 | 9 | 85.0% |
| 2019 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 185 | 149 | 1,725 | 11.6 | 9 | 80.5% |
| 2021 | Hunter Renfrow, L.V. | 128 | 103 | 1,038 | 10.1 | 9 | 80.5% |
| 2007 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 145 | 112 | 1,175 | 10.5 | 8 | 77.2% |
| 2020 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 149 | 115 | 1,374 | 12.0 | 18 | 77.2% |
| 2021 | Chris Godwin, T.B. | 127 | 98 | 1,103 | 11.3 | 5 | 77.2% |
| 2012 | Randall Cobb, G.B. | 104 | 80 | 954 | 11.9 | 8 | 76.9% |
| 2017 | Golden Tate, Det. | 120 | 92 | 1,003 | 10.9 | 5 | 76.7% |
| 2020 | Cole Beasley, Buff. | 107 | 82 | 967 | 11.8 | 4 | 76.6% |
| 2020 | Stefon Diggs, Buff. | 166 | 127 | 1,535 | 12.1 | 8 | 76.5% |
| 2016 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 121 | 92 | 1,137 | 12.4 | 9 | 76.0% |
| 2009 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 162 | 123 | 1,348 | 11.0 | 4 | 75.9% |
| 2021 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 191 | 145 | 1,947 | 13.4 | 16 | 75.9% |
| 2020 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 128 | 97 | 831 | 8.6 | 9 | 75.8% |
| 2020 | Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 132 | 100 | 1,054 | 10.5 | 10 | 75.8% |
| 2015 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 103 | 78 | 1,069 | 13.7 | 14 | 75.7% |
| 2021 | Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 119 | 90 | 912 | 10.1 | 5 | 75.6% |
| 2016 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 125 | 94 | 1,128 | 12.0 | 7 | 75.2% |
| 2015 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 145 | 109 | 1,215 | 11.2 | 9 | 75.2% |
| 2016 | Stefon Diggs, Min. | 112 | 84 | 903 | 10.8 | 3 | 75.0% |
| 2014 | Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 112 | 84 | 758 | 9.0 | 5 | 75.0% |
—Ian Allan