Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco 49ers
Emmanuel Sanders, 32, is probably the second-best option for the Patriots if he can sustain his play from 2019. Sanders is 5-foot-11, 180 pounds and he’d give the Patriots a slot receiver with elite speed and deep knowledge of the game.
Sanders’ situation is a little different from Green, because he was traded to the San Francisco 49ers last season — who made it to Super Bowl LIV. The offense seemed stagnate in the Super Bowl and depended mainly on their three-headed rushing attack. Sanders was able to pull in 36 catches, 502 yards and three touchdowns in nine games with the 49ers.
It’s very possible that San Francisco doesn’t play defensively at the level they did in 2019, giving the Patriots a better chance of contending in 2020. Sanders proved he still has some juice in him and he spoke very highly of the possibility of playing with the Patriots if he joined them earlier in his career.
“If I had went to New England, I probably would’ve been a Hall of Famer,” Sanders said, via NBC Sports Boston’s Phil Perry. “I probably would’ve been a Hall of Famer. That was, what, my third year in the league? Tom (Brady) would’ve had, what, seven more years left? How many Super Bowls have they won from then? But it didn’t work out. That’s not the plan that God wanted for me. I don’t regret anything. Year 10. Third Super Bowl. I’m blessed, man.”
Once again, the Patriots could likely strike a team-friendly contract because of Sanders’ age, while giving him another realistic shot at winning his second Super Bowl championship.