It was just a few weeks ago that Carolina Panthers players were raving about Hunter Renfrow.
He was turning heads and making highlights with his surprising agility and quickness. Even Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney made an appearance at Panthers training camp to celebrate the Tigers' wide receiver legend’s return to the NFL.
All signs pointed to a very feel-good story a year after Renfrow, who was a part of two national championship teams at Clemson, went unsigned while dealing with a serious medical condition.
However, Renfrow’s time with the team closest to home didn’t have a novel-like ending. The five-year veteran was cut by the Panthers on Tuesday, finalizing the team's 53-man roster.
The #Panthers released veteran WR Hunter Renfrow.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 26, 2025
The devastating decision does come with questions.
Why did head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan decide Renfrow wasn’t worth a roster spot?
How much did a mid-camp hamstring injury derail his chances?
If the Panthers send trade candidate Adam Thielen back to Minnesota, could that open up a potential spot for Renfrow?
And, most importantly, what’s next?
It was four years ago that Renfrow recorded over 100 receptions in Las Vegas, joining an elite list of Raiders to reach 90 catches in a season. The only other two? Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Tim Brown.
But the 2020 fifth-round NFL draft pick didn’t fit into the Raiders’ plans under a different regime. Injuries and concussions kept him off the field at times, and the medical condition threatened his pro career in 2024.
Now, Renfrow has a tough decision to make. Does he keep on trying? Would he leave his family in South Carolina to take his chances with another franchise if offered?
Maybe a different situation could emerge, like signing a practice squad deal with the Panthers. He wouldn’t have to be far from home, and a year shaking off the rust could be the formula to revitalizing the 29-year-old’s career.
The coming days will tell us if that opportunity exists, but only six veterans are allowed to be on the 17-man roster.
Hopefully, the man who caught one of, if not THE most, important passes in Clemson history in the 2016 national championship game against Alabama gets an opportunity somehow to keep his career going.
Seeing him, even just once, shaking off a defender in the middle of the field to make a catch just feels necessary.