Hunter Renfrow knows his time with Raiders is coming to an end

Veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow wrapped up what was almost surely his third-to-last practice with the Raiders on Wednesday.

He is pondering what his future holds as he prepares to play his final game Sunday with the only professional football team he’s ever known.

“I definitely think a lot about it,” Renfrow said before reciting a favorite quote of his former coach Rich Bisaccia.

“You spend 95 percent of the time in a microscope and 5 percent in a telescope,” Renfrow said.

Through that long lens, it’s impossible not to see beyond the Raiders to another opportunity with another NFL team next season.

The fact is, the business side of professional sports comes calling for everyone at some point, and in Renfrow’s case, the non-guaranteed $11.8 million he is on the books for next season pretty much dictates the Raiders will part ways with him during the offseason.

“I’m very aware of my contract and what will probably happen at the end of the year,” Renfrow said.

The real question is how Renfrow arrived at this point. Not so much the contract situation: Almost from the moment he signed it, it was dubious he’d ever play on those 2024 terms.

The question concerns how quickly his role and production fell off after putting together a 103-catch, 1,038-yard season in 2021 and being rewarded with the two-year, $32.3 million extension heading into 2022.

Injuries played a big role in Renfrow’s numbers falling to 36 catches and 330 yards last year, although even when he was healthy, it felt like he was an afterthought in Josh McDaniels’ offense.

That was supposed to change this year after a strong showing in training camp.

But going into Sunday’s season finale, he has just 25 catches for 255 yards, and his spot in the pecking order has fallen behind Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Michael Mayer and others.

Renfrow’s snap count percentage is 36.5 compared to 91.9 for Adams and 86.2 for Meyers. At this point, his playing time is closer to rookie Tre Tucker’s 29.8 snap count percentage than the other wideouts.

Finding out why has been an exercise in futility. From McDaniels to everyone else, there is an acknowledgment of Renfrow’s talents, ability and importance.

Interim coach Antonio Pierce continues to speak fondly of Renfrow.

“He’s an NFL-caliber wide receiver. He’s a starting receiver,” Pierce said. “He’s a really good football player.”

Yet those words and faith have not been backed up in action over the last two years. Game after game, Renfrow spends more time on the sideline than on the playing field.

Renfrow chooses his words carefully when asked about the turn of events his career has taken.

“I mean, just trying to be a good teammate,” Renfrow said. “Trying to do what they ask of me and trying to have a good attitude every day I come in.”

Renfrow does acknowledge the injuries took a mental toll in 2022 but that he’s been in a much better space healthwise this year.

“I went through a lot last year from a health standpoint,” Renfrow said. “A health standpoint that a lot of people didn’t see. And so I feel like, over the course of this year, I’ve gotten a lot of that figured out. Getting over that hump was big for me, to feel like I can actually go out there and perform.”

Hence, there is excitement and curiosity about what his future holds. At 28 years old, there is undoubtedly a place for Renfrow in the NFL, with a potential landing spot in New Orleans and a reunion with good friend Derek Carr shaping up as a possibility.

As a future outside of Las Vegas takes shape, Renfrow has already begun summing up his time with the Raiders. Despite the last two seasons, there was much more good than bad. And that is what has been mostly on his mind.

“Just how thankful I am for Raider Nation kind of bringing me in and letting me be myself as a rookie and grow as a player and having my back when I wasn’t playing well,” Renfrow said. “And always having my back. And so I think just an appreciation for that and I think about all the guys that have come and gone and been a part of this.

“What brings up together is a common goal, and I think as long as we have that goal and we have each other’s back, then that’s the fun of it. That’s what makes football fun.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.