The Carolina Panthers finally completed a trade to send Adam Thielen back to the Minnesota Vikings. The move was reportedly being worked on for days, and the two teams eventually finalized it after the roster cutdown deadline.
Now, Thielen is back where it all started, and Carolina is trusting its young receivers to carry the passing game.
Guys like Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coker are now leading the way, but the Panthers may still find an older receiver to add to the room. That could be the veteran they just released: Hunter Renfrow.
Carolina Panthers could re-sign Hunter Renfrow after trading Adam Thielen
After a year away from football through a serious illness that demanded significant recovery time, Renfrow returned this offseason and joined the Panthers. The 29-year-old quickly impressed by showing he still had the shifty skills that made him a Pro Bowler back in 2021. Despite what seemed to be an impressive offseason, this wasn't sustained when opportunities his way in the preseason.
Catching passes from Jack Plummer didn't exactly help his cause. But it didn't stop the Panthers from releasing him before the cut-down deadline.
That decision might have just been some roster manipulation. Carolina had to get the squad down to 53 players, but since the Thielen trade wasn’t finalized yet, he had to be accounted for.
So the Panthers could’ve decided to release Renfrow, knowing he wouldn't be subject to waivers, and then re-sign him once Thielen was traded. That seems like a realistic outcome, although much will depend on how Dan Morgan and Dave Canales view options on the waiver wire.
Two of those steps are already complete. We’ll soon learn if this was the plan or if Carolina was really done with Renfrow.
If Renfrow is brought back, he’ll provide depth and experience to a promising but inexperienced wide receiver room. He could also provide somewhat of a short-yardage security blanket for Bryce Young, similar to the way Thielen did.