CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The Carolina Panthers have parted ways with a former Clemson star who completed an inspiring comeback to the NFL this season.
Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow was one of two players the Panthers waived on Tuesday, with safety Demani Richardson being the other.
The moves came just four days before the Panthers’ Wild Card playoff game against the Rams, and cleared up two spots on the 53-man roster. It will be the team’s first postseason game in eight years.
One of those newly freed-up spots was filled with receiver David Moore, who will return from injured reserve. Offensive lineman Robert Hunt is also eligible to return from injured reserve and could take up the other vacated roster spot.
Renfrow had a very up-and-down run with the Panthers this season.
The 30-year-old was out of the NFL in 2024 while he battled ulcerative colitis, an autoimmune disease that can cause intense inflammation of the bowels. During that health episode, he lost dozens of pounds and ended up in the emergency room a few times.
This spring, though, Renfrow felt good enough to try an NFL comeback and signed with the Panthers right after April’s draft.
He impressed coaches and teammates during OTAs and training camp, and appeared on track to make the initial 53-man roster to start the season. An injury during the preseason, though, derailed him and he was released after the final tune-up game, only to be resigned just days later because fellow wide receiver Jalen Coker got hurt.
Renfrow was active and played a significant amount of snaps during the Panthers’ first six games in 2025 — all while Coker was out — but was a healthy scratch each week since.
Across the six games, Renfrow caught 15 passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Perhaps his biggest play, though, came in his last game when he caught a pass on fourth down to continue the game-winning drive against the Cowboys.
A Myrtle Beach native, Renfrow was a fan-favorite at Clemson from 2015-2018, and won two national championships with the Tigers. His 186 catches are the sixth-most in Clemson history.
Renfrow’s best NFL season came with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2021 when he recorded 1,038 yards and caught nine touchdowns. He played for the Raiders from 2019-2023.
The Panthers released former Clemson star Hunter Renfrow just days before the playoffs.(Jacob Kupferman | AP)
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