CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The Panthers cut former Clemson star wideout Hunter Renfrow on Tuesday afternoon in a shocking roster decision.
Carolina made a series of moves on Tuesday, Aug. 26, to get to the initial 53-man roster limit, which included releasing the veteran wide receiver.
Two days after the 2025 NFL Draft ended, Renfrow was signed to a free-agent contract, hoping to add a veteran presence to a notably youthful position in the locker room.
Hunter Renfrow
Hunter Renfrow(Courtesy: Carolina Panthers)
Renfrow’s comeback to football
Renfrow signed with the Panthers this April after spending a year away from football battling an autoimmune disease.
“I just felt as bad as I could,” Renfrow said. “Really, over the last two years of my Raider career -- I was just trying to piece it together. Just trying to make it.”
Renfrow received a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, a disease that can cause intense inflammation of the bowels. He said there were moments he considered walking away from the game of football entirely.
“I felt like I’d let my teammates down so much,” Renfrow said. “I was just a dud. I was like ‘Man, I know I don’t feel well, but I do not want to play football again.’”
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The Raiders released him after the 2023 season, and he spent 2024 focusing on his health before attempting an NFL comeback.
Renfrow said around March or April of last year, he dropped to 150 pounds and went to the emergency room a few times for treatment.
But after receiving a new treatment, he said he started to feel better for the first time in years. That’s when he was able to wrap his mind around a return to football.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) runs a route against the Houston Texans...
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (13) runs a route against the Houston Texans during an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Maria Lysaker)(Maria Lysaker | AP)
In the meantime, he enjoyed the free time that came from a break from the game.
“It was awesome,” Renfrow said. “It’s good to reset sometimes, and kind of get healthy ... I got to spend a lot of time with my two daughters -- spent a lot of time with my wife.”
A year away from football
During his year off, Renfrow said he bought into a company called ESS Industrial as head of the business development department.
The company, located in Woodruff, South Carolina, specializes in large-scale recycling and is about an hour and a half away from Charlotte.
“It was cool because I was part of a team,” Renfrow said. “Even though it was not a locker room, you still get guys working for a common goal, you still get competitive juices going.”
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Renfrow also attended the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am during his year away from the game.
That’s where he met Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen.
“I remember telling him, ‘If I could ever get back to Carolina, that would be a dream for me,’” Renfrow said.
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