One of the biggest winners from the hire of Josh McDaniels has to be Hunter Renfrow. No team over the last two decades has better utilized the slot receiver position than New England and Renfrow might just be the best slot receiver in the league right now.
But after three years in the NFL, Renfrow is now eligible for a contract extension and the Raiders would be wise to do a deal sooner rather than later. So what could Renfrow’s contract look like after a breakout 2021 season?
In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they took a look at several wide receivers from the 2019 draft that are eligible for contract extensions this offseason. That list includes D.K Metcalf, Hollywood Brown, A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel.
They projected that Renfrow would receive a four-year deal worth nearly $14 million per season. That would actually make him among the highest-paid slot receivers in the NFL. Here is what the site had to say about the Pro Bowl receiver:
“While Renfrow put up some gaudy numbers and was remarkably consistent, with at least 30 receiving yards in every contest but one, he’s a possession receiver out of the slot and his market will more reflect that of guys like:
- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd: four years, $43 million in 2019 ($10.75 million per year), as a low-end target.
- Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb: four years, $40 million in 2015 ($10 million per year), as a high-end contract comparable — with the salary cap inflation-adjusted average per year of Cobb’s $10M per year deal in 2022 equivalent to $14.57 million per year.
- New York Jets wide receiver Jamison Crowder: three years, $28.5 million ($9.5 million per year in 2019), as a floor.”
Renfrow was better than all of those receivers in 2021 and with the salary cap rising in 2022, he should see a significant pay increase. Regardless of its $12 million or $15 million, the Raiders need to lock up Renfrow. He is one of their best players on the roster and could put up even bigger numbers in 2022 under McDaniels.
