On Wednesday, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders announced he is retiring from the NFL after 12 NFL seasons. Sanders plans to retire as a member of the Denver Broncos.
The Steelers reputation has always been its ability to cultivate mid-round wide receiver talent into stars. No better class illustrated than the 2010 draft class that brought Sanders in the third round and Antonio Brown in the sixth.
Sanders spent his first four seasons with Pittsburgh and caught 161 passes for 2,030 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. Sanders went to the Broncos in free agency where he topped 100 receptions in 2014.
Pittsburgh choosing to pay Brown and let Sanders leave will forever be one of those “What if?” moments in franchise history.
