Emmanuel Sanders is scheduled to become a free agent next month after spending half of the 2019 season with the San Francisco 49ers. His future remains unclear, but there is still a chance the veteran receiver returns to the Niners.
"I enjoyed this season," Sanders told reporters earlier this month. "I love the Niners organization, so we're going to see what's going to happen."
Sanders is about to enter his 11th NFL season and has proven that he can be a valuable contributor to any offense. The soon-to-be-33-year-old receiver recorded 66 receptions for 869 yards with five touchdowns through 17 games and 16 starts between the 49ers and Denver Broncos in 2019.
His contributions go well beyond the statistics, though. Young receivers like rookie Deebo Samuel emerged after Sanders' arrival. The veteran is well-respected among the more inexperienced group of wideouts.
A former viral video from 2018 recently resurfaced of Sanders addressing younger players and offering advice about what it takes to succeed in the NFL, and perhaps life in general. It was initially shot by Blake Hobson during a workout session with Rischad "The Footwork King" Whitfield at Sutaria Training & Fitness in Houston.
You can watch the video below, courtesy of our friends at @TheSFNiners.
"Ever since [Sanders has] been here, you can see kind of things changed a little bit," Samuel said during the week leading to Super Bowl LIV. "We kind of got like a true vet in the room. He's been in the league so long, played in Super Bowls. Kind of like the knowledge that he passed down to us, we kind of don't have a choice but to listen to him."
Sanders could be a hot commodity in free agency. Any team looking for a productive veteran presence will at least consider him.
Salary cap tracking site Spotrac.com currently lists Sanders' market value at an average of $10 million per year. If accurate, that could price San Francisco out of contention, which would be a shame considering the team sent third- and fourth-round picks in this year's draft to the Broncos in exchange for the receiver.
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