The Las Vegas Raiders released four players Wednesday, including receiver Hunter Renfrow less than two years after signing him to a lucrative contract extension, and quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Bryan Hoyer almost exactly one year after signing them in free agency.
Renfrow confirmed the long-expected decision on social media on Wednesday, thanking his teammates and coaches for inspiring him over his five years with the franchise.
Renfrow went from being one of the best additions under Jon Gruden’s regime to a little-used player the past two seasons under former coach Josh McDaniels and current coach Antonio Pierce.
Garoppolo and Hoyer both previously played in New England but joined the Raiders last offseason to reunite with then-head coach McDaniels, the former Patriots offensive coordinator. Garoppolo was the Raiders’ starting quarterback at the beginning of 2023, but only started six games and struggled amid injuries, with 1,205 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions on a 65.1% completion rate.
He was benched when McDaniels was fired after a Week 8 loss to the Detroit Lions, with Pierce promoting rookie Aidan O’Connell to starting quarterback when taking the reins. It was reported last month that the Raiders had planned to cut Garoppolo when the new league year started Wednesday after the NFL handed him a two-game suspension for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Substances Policy.
Hoyer, who had spent most of his career playing for McDaniels in New England and Las Vegas, was also expected to be released.
A fifth-round pick in 2019, Renfrow emerged as the focal point of the passing game in 2021, when he had 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns to earn a Pro Bowl nod and help lead the Raiders to the playoffs.
Renfrow was rewarded for that in 2022 with a two-year contract extension worth $31.7 million. But he was unable to repeat that production the past two seasons.
Renfrow was hampered by injuries in 2022, when he finished…
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Publish date : 2024-03-13 21:53:23
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