Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow is one step closer to an NFL comeback. On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers announced they had signed the 29-year-old slot weapon. The former Las Vegas Raiders wideout reportedly worked out for both the Panthers and Raiders last month after sitting out the 2024 season, and now has landed a deal following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Renfrow is a South Carolina native who became a Clemson legend by winning two College Football Playoff national championships — including in 2017, when he caught the game-winning pass from Deshaun Watson to defeat Alabama.
The Raiders selected Renfrow in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he recorded two 100-yard outings in his first NFL season. Renfrow’s best season came in 2021, when he caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns — leading to his lone Pro Bowl selection. That offseason, Renfrow signed a two-year, $32 million extension with Vegas. After catching just 25 passes for 255 yards and zero touchdowns in 2023, which was the worst statistical campaign of his career, Renfrow was released by the Raiders.
Why did Renfrow leave football? The temporary pause was about getting healthy. Renfrow revealed that he was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition ulcerative colitis, which caused him to lose weight and plagued him with fatigue and high fevers.
“It kicked my butt pretty good,” Renfrow said, via the Panthers’ official website. “Last year, I fluctuated in weight; I went down to 150 pounds. I had like seven straight days of 103-degree fevers. It’s tough to play when you’re not feeling great.”
Now, Renfrow wants back in the league. He consulted with doctors to get his condition under control, and he’s ready to compete for a roster spot.
“It’s just trying to get back, trying to get healthy, trying to do something I love,” Renfrow said when asked about the gap year. “I enjoyed other parts of life. We had our second daughter, so enjoying that and just wanting to make sure if I’m going to come back and give my time and attention to something that I was going to be all in on it.”
Carolina spent two of its eight draft picks on wide receivers in the draft this past weekend, selecting Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 overall, then Jimmy Horn Jr. from Colorado in the sixth round at No. 208 overall. Now, Renfrow will have the opportunity to come in and carve out a role as Bryce Young’s security blanket.
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