The Carolina Panthers are bringing back a key wide receiver after trading Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team is re-signing former Pro Bowl receiver Hunter Renfrow, who was released earlier in the week.
With Thielen—Carolina’s top receiver in 2024—now gone, the team needed to add depth for quarterback Bryce Young. Their receiving corps heading into the season includes rookie first-rounder Tetairoa McMillan, along with Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.
However, Schefter reports that Coker is being placed on injured reserve with a quad injury, a move that likely prompted the Panthers to bring Renfrow back.
Renfrow originally joined Carolina in April and impressed during training camp, but the team opted to focus on younger talent as part of their offensive rebuild. Still, they remained hopeful about Renfrow’s return, especially as other teams had shown interest in signing him this week.
Renfrow, now 29, is expected to take on a meaningful role early in the season—something Young will need after the loss of Thielen. Renfrow’s standout season came in 2021 with the Las Vegas Raiders, when he caught 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns.
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