Emmanuel Sanders will visit San Francisco 49ers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (88) returns a kick-off against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. The Miami Dolphins won 34-28. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers free agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders has been making the rounds this week, as he recently visited the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is visiting the WR-needy Kansas City Chiefs today. Sanders’s significant interest doesn’t seem to include the New England Patriots, who showed major interest in him last offseason when he was a restricted free agent and actually offered him a tender that was matched by the Steelers. He was unsurprisingly let go by Pittsburgh, but he looks like a nice add for another team as a very good WR3 (he’s a WR2 at best).
The National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson reports that the San Francisco 49ers are hosting Sanders tomorrow, and they are in the market for a wide receiver with reported interest in Julian Edelman and Hakeem Nicks. They already re-signed Anquan Boldin this offseason, but they could use a third wideout, especially one who can play in the slot (both Edelman and Sanders, to a lesser extent, can do this).
Sanders is just 26 and caught 67 passes for 740 yards and six touchdowns, and he is a fast wideout who can line up just about anywhere and be used in a variety of roles as a receiver. Provided he is affordable, all of the teams with interest in him could use him. The Chiefs probably won’t end up signing him after letting him leave Kansas City without a contract offer, so we’ll see if tomorrow’s visit with the 49ers yields a new deal for Sanders.