The Denver Broncos agreed to trade wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and a fifth-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday in exchange for a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick. Denver is now loading up on picks for the 2020 NFL draft, which will take place in April.
It’s easy to understand why Broncos general manager John Elway made the move. Denver is unlikely to make the playoffs this season and Sanders is scheduled to become a free agent in 2020. Instead of allowing the 32-year-old receiver to walk next offseason, Elway got two draft picks for him.
The Broncos will have a “dead money” salary cap hit of $6.9 million in 2019 after trading Sanders but the team still has about $10 million in salary cap space. If that cap is not used this year, it will roll over and be added to the team’s 2020 salary cap total.
