Before he signed a three-year, $15 million contract with the Denver Broncos in 2014, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders nearly signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Sanders has told the story before, but he revisited it during his retirement press conference at Denver’s facility last week.
Sanders said he wanted to sign with the Broncos due to Peyton Manning and the other pieces the team had in place, but he hadn’t heard from then-general manager John Elway. So the receiver had a visit with the Chiefs, were he nearly signed.
“We were trying to work out the logistics because I wanted to sign for three years, and they wanted me to sign for four,” Sanders said. “I told them, ‘No, I’m only signing for three.’ Andy Reid leaves [because] he thinks I’m signing with the Chiefs. All of the sudden … I get a call in the facility that I can go to Denver.”
Sanders then told the Broncos he would sign with them, leaving him in an awkward position at Kansas City’s facility.
“I’m there in their facility and I remember telling them, ‘I just want to go back to my hotel and figure out the situation. I don’t know what I want to do. I might sign, but I don’t know,'” Sanders said. “I was just trying to get out of there so I could go celebrate because I’m about to go play with Peyton freaking Manning — The Sheriff.”
Knowing if he left he might never return, the Chiefs tried to get Sanders to stay and sign, but his mind was made up.
“They wouldn’t let me out of the facility, and I remember trying to leave,” Sanders said. “I remember Andy Reid. I see this car just flying down, and he hopped out like, ‘What is going on?’ I don’t care to go into too many crazy details, but that’s just how close it was because I was literally sitting in that room like, ‘I’m about to sign.’ I remember calling all of my family and I told them, ‘I’m about to sign with the Chiefs.’ It didn’t happen and I ended up coming here, which was the best thing ever.”
Sanders went on to become a key member of Denver’s offense and he helped the team win Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season. Sanders retired last week after a 12-year career in the NFL.
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