We’re still just over two months away from getting to watch the Minnesota Vikings take on the New York Giants in the regular season opener on Sept. 8. Yet, while GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has spent the better part of the offseason addressing key Vikings needs, there’s still one area that hasn’t completely been solved, the team’s No. 3 wide receiver role.
Sure, plenty of candidates are already on the roster, and we recently dove into who the Vikings want to win the job, but what about players on other teams? Or, in this case, what about unsigned free agents looking to prove the rest of the NFL wrong after being overlooked for so long?
Free agency started back in March, yet here we are, in August, and there are still several notable names looking for a job, including former Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl wideout Hunter Renfrow.
Renfrow recently became the focus of The Athletic’s Alec Lewis, who’s urging the Vikings to sign the 5-foot-10, 185-pound receiver.
“If O’Connell’s run game remains similar to that of the last couple of years, Renfrow isn’t the requisite big body needed at WR3. But he can win in one-on-one coverage and could easily master the team’s choice-route concepts from the slot. Minnesota might be better off adding defensive depth, but leaning further into its pass-first identity could lead to Renfrow.”
Alec Lewis on Hunter Renfrow fitting the Minnesota Vikings
Lewis also rattled off several other unsigned free agents the Vikings should target, but none of the names are bigger than Renfrow.
- Hunter Renfrow stats (career): 269 receptions, 2,884 receiving yards, 17 TD
As a former fifth-round pick, Renfrow has already exceeded all expectations as an NFL pro, but he’s still just 28 years old, meaning he could still have several years of peak performance left. The issue is, we haven’t seen Renfrow at his best for the past two seasons now.
But back in 2021, Renfrow earned a Pro Bowl nod thanks to racking up 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns on 103 receptions. That came after consecutive 600-yard-plus receiving seasons. His early work led to a two-year, $32 million contract back in 2022.
Yet, once Renfrow’s production slipped to the point of gaining just 330 and 255 yards across his past two seasons, the Raiders moved on, releasing their former slot receiver from the roster. While there’s no telling how much he has left in the tank, Renfrow has at least shown an ability to play at a very high level.
The Vikings have nothing to lose by bringing Renfrow in for a workout to see what he’s still capable of, but his age suggests there should be plenty of tread left on the tires.
