The New Orleans Saints have reached an agreement in principle with free agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on a two-year contract valued at $16 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Incentives worked into the deal — likely based off of playing time, Pro Bowl or All-Pro consideration, or even team wins — will heighten the total earning potential in this contract up to $19 million. The only box left to check before Sanders can sign on the dotted line is a standard physical, per ESPN’s Josina Anderson.
What’s more, Schefter reported that other NFC title contenders were in on Sanders, including the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. The San Francisco 49ers swapped multiple draft picks for Sanders at last season’s October trade deadline and also presumably would have liked to have gotten more than a handful of games out of him.
Still, Sanders certainly left his mark in his 13 games with the 49ers (including the playoffs). He caught 41 of 61 passes (67.2%) to gain 573 yards, averaging 14.1 yards per reception, and scored three touchdowns. That’s an average of 3.2 catches per game for 44.1 receiving yards per game. For context, those averages would have ranked third-best among all Saints players last year regardless of position.
As for the experience Sanders adds to the locker room: he’s a two-time Pro Bowler who has suited up 11 playoff games, including three Super Bowls, winning the 2015 title game with the Denver Broncos during Peyton Manning’s final season. He recently celebrated his 33rd birthday but proved last season that he still has plenty of fuel left in the tank, and should give the Saints a much-needed upgrade at wide receiver.
Just to really drive the point home: Michael Thomas, the top wide receiver in New Orleans, caught 119 more receptions than the next-closest wideout last season. Yeah, the gap between him and Sanders shouldn’t be so wide.
