CHARLOTTE — The past year of Hunter Renfrow's life has been a respite. After two years of his body seemingly shutting down on him with no explanation, followed by a diagnosis of the autoimmune condition ulcerative colitis that almost seemed like a relief simply because it was an answer, Renfrow was forced to take a year off from football. He recently sat down with panthers.com to share what the year was like and the blessings that came from the time off.

But now he's back on the field and ready to go. The veteran Pro Bowl receiver met with local media for the first time on Thursday and shared memories of his first time meeting Adam Thielen, his thoughts on Bryce Young, and more. Here are three takeaways from Renfrow's first media availability with the Carolina Panthers.

A chance meeting with Adam Thielen

Last May, almost two months to the day after being released by the Las Vegas Raiders and thinking his football career might be done due to his diagnosis, Renfrow attended the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. It was an attractive stop on the PGA Tour close to home, so heading to Charlotte for the tournament was a nice break.

While there, he met Panthers receiver Adam Thielen for the first time. Renfrow had long admired Thielen's game, a former undrafted receiver who has worked his way into a career with two Pro Bowls and three thousand-yard seasons.

"Obviously I've been a big fan of his for a number of years, you know, kind of how he came to the NFL…and how he progressed. I was a big fan of his in college, and I was a walk-on, and that is kind of how I progressed. I felt like we had similar careers," Renfrow explained Thursday.

"I was like, if I could just be like that guy—he reminds me of a guy at Clemson, Adam Humphries…and I was like, if I can just be like that guy, then my life would be, and my career would be made."

Despite playing the same position in the league for years, though, the two never crossed paths until a year ago (or 11 and a half months, to be precise) when both were at Quail Hollow and Renfrow unknowingly made a prediction.

"I remember telling him if I could ever get back to Carolina, that'd be a dream for me."

Now Renfrow is in Carolina, and the guy he long admired is his teammate.

"I've really gotten to know him this week, (and) he's been unbelievable," praised Renfrow. "Just a good leader, a good communicator, and just a good mentor for a lot of the young guys, a good mentor for me

"Adam's done it. Adam's done it well, done it at a high level, and he understands what it takes to accomplish what (other guys) want to eventually accomplish."

Having fun with the Panthers

As Renfrow was struggling with ulcerative colitis, but before he knew the cause, football became a miserable experience.

"I just signed a new contract. I had a new coaching staff that I was going to be perfect for…and I was just a dud, and I was like, man, I know I don't feel well, but I do not want to play football again," Renfrow admitted.

Then he received a diagnosis and, more importantly, a treatment plan. As life outside of football began to return to normal, so did the idea of playing again.

"I went to a high school for a couple of high school football games, and I was like, man, they're having fun. That's what I used to do. I used to have fun playing this game."

He noticed that same joyfulness for the game when he would tune in to the Panthers in the latter half of last season. A former Raider, Renfrow made sure to watch that Week 3 win. Then, he came to Bank of America Stadium in Week 9 when his former quarterback, Derek Carr, was leading the Saints.

The Panthers won both games and as the Carolina native paid closer attention, he saw the excitement he was hoping to find again.

"It looked like they were having fun, and it looked like they were playing for a guy like coach Canales, who I've heard great things about, and they were wanting to win for him and play for him and just had a lot of fun playing.

"And so watching them progress towards the end of the year, it reminded me of a little bit like Clemson back in the 2010, 2011 (season) when coach Swinney was starting to get things going. You had some people buying in believing, and I saw some kind of similarity between that and what coach Canales was building.

"So it was cool to watch and it was a lot of momentum to be able to come in and step into and just a lot of good energy in the building."

Now that Renfrow is in Charlotte suiting up for the Panthers, he's been dialing in more to his new quarterback, Bryce Young.

"Getting in here this week and watching him on film, he's very mobile, you know, he's got a high IQ and he just, he makes plays and he's a winner and that's what you want to be around. That's what you want to build around."

Experiences with Tre'von Moehrig

While Renfrow was with the Raiders, he spent three seasons crossing over with Tre'von Moehrig. The safety and Renfrow are teammates again now with the Panthers. Moehrig signed with the Panthers as a free agent following a career season in which he had 104 tackles, 10 pass deflections, 1.0 sacks, and two interceptions.

What Renfrow remembers most, though, is not necessarily what Moehrig did on the field during games, or just what it was like to face him in practice, but what he brought to the whole organization.

"He's one of the more steady people you'll be around, like, come in the building every day. He's the same person. And he's just a consistent person and a consistent player. He's not going to do things that hurt you, and if you have enough guys like that, then you'll win games," Renfrow said.

"I just remember him being just the most relaxed guy in the locker room and then even on the field like some guys are, relax in the locker room, and they're psychopaths on the field, and he's relaxed in the locker room, and he's relaxed on the field, but he still makes unbelievable plays, and he has a sense of urgency, and so it's a weird dynamic, but that just shows you the person he is, the player he is and that kind of sticks out to me, going against him all those years in practice."