The San Francisco 49ers were in need of wide receiver help heading into the trade deadline and on Tuesday, they made a deal with the Denver Broncos. They’re trading third- and fourth-round picks in 2020 to the Broncos for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a fifth-round pick.
Mike Klis of 9News was the first to report the trade. Adam Schefter of ESPN confirmed the news, as well.
Sanders joins the 49ers’ receiving corps which currently features Marquise Goodwin, Dante Pettis, Deebo Samuel and Richie James Jr., but with Sanders in the mix, he could quickly become the No. 1 option for Jimmy Garoppolo at wide receiver.
This season, Sanders has 367 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions, adding to his total of 7,391 yards in his career.
Kyle Shanahan is a big fan of Sanders, praising the veteran wideout on a conference call last December.
Sanders will be a free agent after this season, which makes this a 10-game rental for the 49ers unless they sign him to an extension. At 32 years old, it’s difficult to imagine him signing a contract longer than three years with San Francisco or in free agency, if he reaches the market.
