Raiders Should Keep Hunter Renfrow Alongside Jimmy Garoppolo amid NFL Trade Rumors

Though the Las Vegas Raiders gave wide receiver Hunter Renfrow a two-year, $22.3 million extension in 2022, there has been plenty of speculation about his future this offseason.

While the extension was granted by current general manager Dave Ziegler, Renfrow is a product of the former regime. Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels have spent the early stages of 2023 moving on from the previous regime's players and adding foundational pieces for "their team."

Some of those new faces, like free-agent receiver Jakobi Meyers and rookie Tre Tucker, are fully capable of taking on Renfrow's role in the slot if necessary. According to The Athletic's Tashan Reed, however, Las Vegas isn't looking to dump Renfrow and has received no real trade interest:

"The Raiders haven't been shopping Renfrow and haven't received any trade offers for him, according to league sources. But their offseason moves make his standing with the team worth examining."

While Renfrow's long-term future with the franchise may remain murky at best, the Raiders would be wise to keep him through training camp and into the regular season. A big reason why is the latest development with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Garoppolo has passes his physical and will be ready for the start of training camp:

Garoppolo's status is important because he's a product of the New England Patriots, just like McDaniels and Ziegler. Garoppolo fits and knows how to run McDaniels' offense, and whether he's the long-term answer at quarterback or not, he can help Las Vegas better evaluate the offensive players it has.

This includes Renfrow, who was limited to 10 games after suffering a concussion in Week 2 last season and wasn't as prolific with the passing attack flowing through Davante Adams.

Two years ago, however, Renfrow was a 100-catch, 1,000-yard receiver who made the Pro Bowl. Last season didn't paint an accurate picture of what Renfrow can be in McDaniels' system, but a year alongside Garoppolo should.

This is a huge piece of the equation, but it's not the only one. The Raiders must also consider that if there's no trade demand for Renfrow now, moving him simply isn't going to bring a fair return.

While Las Vegas could save just under $7 million in 2023 cap space by trading Renfrow, it would also have to eat $5.5 million in dead money next year. The potential savings simply isn't worth it if the trade return is merely a conditional late-round draft pick.

This is especially true when considering Renfrow has already proven that he can play at a Pro Bowl level.

Las Vegas also doesn't know what it has in Tucker just yet, and it doesn't even know if it will have star running back Josh Jacobs on the regular season roster. Jacobs was given the franchise tag, failed to work out a long-term agreement with the Raiders and now appears poised for a holdout that lasts at least through training camp.

"[Jacobs] is already sending word that if the deadline passes without a deal, he will not report to training camp," Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote on July 15.

Jacobs is the reigning rushing champ and a very capable dual-threat back. If he isn't in the lineup, Las Vegas will likely have to place more emphasis on the passing game in order to field a functional offense in 2023.

It would behoove the Raiders to keep all of the talent they've accumulated at receiver, including Renfrow, in the fold through training camp and the early portion of the 2023 season.

Las Vegas will always have the option of reevaluating Renfrow's status closer to the trade deadline. If he can't click with Garoppolo, doesn't shine in McDaniels' offense or gets supplanted by the rookie Tucker, then perhaps it will be time to place him on the trade market.

The risk is that if Renfrow cannot stay healthy, his trade value will be zero. That's a small risk to take, though, considering his value is at a low point already.

On the flip side, a key injury or glaring deficiency on another roster could raise Renfrow's trade value significantly at the deadline, especially if he shows flashes of being the player he was in 2021.

Before considering any of that, though, the Raiders need to see how Renfrow operates with Garoppolo and under McDaniels. He's under contract through 2024m he's only 27 years old, and he could well become the sort of centerpiece McDaniels and Ziegler need when the Raiders are finally talented enough to make a legitimate run.