Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu posted a tweet Friday night that might indicate the team asked him to take a pay cut. We don’t know for sure what Sanu’s talking about, but some fans are anxious about what it means.
Others suggested that the team might trade Sanu if he doesn’t take a cut.
He has a point. When Atlanta picked Calvin Ridley in the first round of last year’s draft, it immediately made Sanu more expendable. Ridley’s sensational rookie year reinforced that fact. Atlanta also was rumored to be considering trading Sanu during the offseason, but ultimately decided against it.
Sanu is under contract for another two years. According to Over the Cap, his cap hit in 2019 is $7.65 million, followed by a $7.9 million hit in 2020.
Keep in mind, the Falcons are trying to negotiate a new contract with Julio Jones, who should be the highest paid receiver in the league once the ink is on the paper. According to his social media posts, Jones was on the same plane (presumably team owner Arthur Blank’s) as linebacker Deion Jones the day he signed his contract extension, so he’s expected to sign soon.
It’s possible the holdup has to do with other star receivers like Michael Thomas and Amari Cooper waiting on their own mega-deals. It could also be about the team trying to free up more money elsewhere, like asking Sanu to take a pay cut.
Sanu is more than just an extremely reliable No. 3 receiver option. He’s also a gadget weapon who can run the ball effectively out of the wildcat and is definitely the best non-quarterback passer in the NFL right now and possibly all time.
The Falcons should try to do everything they can to keep Sanu around. The business of football is a brutal one, though.
