After Hunter Renfrow was released by the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 26 ahead of the NFL’s 53-man roster cutdown deadline, the former Clemson star wide receiver fielded calls from multiple teams who were interested in his services.
However, Renfrow was either going to play for the Panthers or not play for any team at all, and he explained why when he met with reporters Monday.
“Just because this is home for me, this is what I wanted to do,” Renfrow said. “I’m a little hard-headed at times. It was fun when I was coming to go to Clemson. I had a few other offers, but I felt like that’s where God wanted me, for whatever reason, and so I walked on at Clemson. And I felt like he wanted me here for whatever reason, and you know, this could end tomorrow, right? But I think just trying to be obedient to that, trying to follow his path for my life. Sometimes it’s not always what’s best for me, but I feel like this is where he wants me.”
Renfrow said he told his agent he was “going to be here [with the Panthers] or nowhere.”
On Saturday, the Panthers officially re-signed Renfrow to their active roster.
“My agent, I think he talked to a few teams,” Renfrow said. “I never really asked him, because this is where I wanted to be. But I was either going to be here or not play, I think, is kind of what it came down to.”
Renfrow explained a funny reason why he almost missed the opportunity to sign back with the Panthers — he had “like 10 missed calls” from Panthers general manager Dan Morgan, head coach Dave Canales and his agent on Thursday because his daughter had declined them all to watch “Bluey.”
“I had like 10 missed phone calls from Dan, Dave, my agent, and they’re all just ignored. My daughter’s watching Bluey or something,” Renfrow said, smiling.
“So I got back in the car and had that conversation, I guess… and then just made sure that this is what I wanted to do. I made sure that this is what I wanted to do, which I was pretty sure of it, but just wanted a couple days to kind of make sure it was good with my wife and my family to go and give everything I’ve got to it.”
Renfrow, 29, originally signed with the Panthers back in April, attempting an NFL comeback after missing the entire 2024 season while dealing with health challenges stemming from a diagnosis of the autoimmune condition ulcerative colitis.
Prior to sitting out the 2024 season, Renfrow played five seasons with the Raiders from 2019-23, tallying 269 receptions for 2,884 yards and 17 touchdowns over that span before being released by the Raiders in March 2024. He finished the 2023 season with just 25 catches for 255 yards, but dealt with an injury most of the season.
After being selected in the fifth round by the Raiders in the 2019 NFL Draft, Renfrow turned in his best season two years later, catching 103 balls for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021. He was a Pro Bowl selection that season.
Renfrow, who played at Clemson from 2014-18 and won two national titles during his tenure with the Tigers, is expected to make his Panthers regular season debut when the team travels to play the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday in Week 1.