Hunter Renfrow was operating on a tight schedule Friday morning. With his wife, daughter and a newly inked contract extension – he had a flight to catch back home to South Carolina.
Eight years ago, the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, native was a two-star high school recruit walking on to the Clemson Tigers football team. He's now coming off a Pro Bowl season with career-highs in catches (103), receiving yards (1,038) and touchdown receptions (nine). And for that, he's getting compensated adequately for his contributions.
As he's exiting Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, he has his wife Camilla by his side with his baby girl decked out in Raiders gear in his arms. With Renfrow just having secured a major extension for his family, his daughter seems to not have a care in the world as she playing around with her father. And he wants to keep it that way.
"That's why you do anything in the world through a job. Whatever you do, it's to help support your family," Renfrow told Raiders.com. "I just want the best life for them. Hopefully one day, Collins, when she grows up, she'll be able to see where hard work gets you. Where dedication, loyalty and those sort of things gets you. I'm excited to convey that to her."
A couple of Renfrow's teammates that've signed extensions this offseason include his draft classmate Maxx Crosby and his quarterback Derek Carr. Carr has been open about how he and other players have structured their extensions to keep the door open to re-sign stars like Renfrow, the leading receiver last season. Head Coach Josh McDaniels has also publicly been excited for what's to come with Renfrow in this new offense, and continuing to unlock his full potential.
"We are thrilled to have reached an agreement with Hunter Renfrow and look forward to seeing him in Silver and Black for years to come," McDaniels said. "Hunter is one of the true leaders on this team and he exemplifies the values of the organization in how he comes to work every day. He is a tremendous teammate on and off the field and the entire Raider Nation is excited to see what the future holds for Hunter."
Renfrow expressed gratitude for the selflessness of his teammates and the desire from his new head coach and general manager to keep him in Silver and Black.
"I feel good. I feel appreciative," Renfrow said in his trademark calming demeanor. "Excited to know where I'm going to be the next couple of years. Excited to go on this journey with this new staff. I'm appreciative that they believe in me. They've shown they believe in some of my teammates who've signed extensions. They believe in the foundation that we have that we've put together in the last couple of years."
"That's why I love the teammates we have here, everyone wants to win," continued Renfrow. "It's one thing to talk about it but it's another thing to show it through actions. And I'm so thankful for those guys for how they structured everything to fit me in there. Now it's my goal, and really my duty, to show them how much I appreciate it through how I play."
Another big variable in signing an extension with the Raiders was keeping his family on the West Coast for a few more years. While Renfrow has had to make the proper transition from the humidity of Myrtle Beach to the scorching dry heat of Las Vegas, he's content with calling Las Vegas home, even as he heads back to his roots for a post-minicamp weekend getaway.
"Me and my wife love being here and everything about Vegas," he said. "We've loved the last two years getting to know everyone. I was talking to someone earlier about how it's such a touristy town but it's also a real small town in how everyone looks out for each other.
"So I'm very appreciative for that and very excited to grind this next month and get ready for the season."
