Well before NFL free agency began, the Bills released Emmanuel Sanders. He had signed a one-year deal with the Bills prior to the 2021 season. It’s evident Sanders will not be back with the Bills this season. What are our latest predictions as to what Sanders might do with his career in 2022?
Top predictions for Emmanuel Sanders in free agency
Heading into the 2021 season, I was actually optimistic about Sanders’ ability to still play. Even at 34 years old, he still looked like he could contribute to an NFL team.
Over his first six games, that proved to be true. Sanders averaged 68 receiving yards per game and scored 4 touchdowns. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old couldn’t sustain it over a full season.
From Week 8 through the end of the season, Sanders had just a single game over 30 receiving yards (Week 9). He wasn’t much of a factor in the Bills’ two playoff games, playing just 46% and 27% of the offensive snaps, respectively.
Now at 35 years old, Sanders has a very down-to-earth view of where his career is at. He’s had the privilege of playing three Super Bowls and winning one. Sanders knows he can be a reliable veteran presence on an NFL team. If Sanders does continue his career, who might sign the free agent?
Retirement
I think it’s fair to say Sanders has had a career that exceeded expectations. He’s certainly proud of what he’s done and feels accomplished as a football player. Once wide receivers reach their early 30s, the word “retirement” begins to pop up. For Sanders, he acknowledged it head-on.
In an interview with Colin Cowherd last month, Sanders said: “I’ve got my son, he’s getting older. I’ve got a daughter getting older. And for the past three years, [I’ve] been traveling and moving from team to team, trying to win a Super Bowl…Â But I’ve got some reflecting I want to do and possibly retire. I don’t know yet. I’m just feeling it out.”
Sanders hasn’t made a final decision on the future of his career just yet, and I don’t expect him to make one anytime soon. He doesn’t have to.
If Sanders decides to continue his career, he’s sure to find a team willing to give him a one-year deal to put him on the back of the roster. For now, he’ll sit back, spend some time with his family, and decide if he wants to continue his career.
Don’t expect to see Sanders sign with anyone anytime soon. If he does choose to return for what will likely be his final season, he can latch on with a contender later in the offseason. He even has the option of sitting out the entire offseason and even the start of the season, waiting for a team to inevitably need to replace an injured player.
The Bills gave Sanders $6 million to play for them last season. Any deal he signs for this season would almost certainly be for at least $1-2 million less.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Here’s a list of quarterbacks that have thrown passes to Sanders: Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Jimmy Garoppolo, Josh Allen. Why not add Tom Brady to the list?
The Bucs have no shortage of wide receiver talent. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are locked in as one of the best WR duos in the NFL. They added Russell Gage and brought back Breshad Perriman.
Sanders would be nothing more than a rotational WR5/roster depth. But he would be a guy the Bucs know they can trust to step up if needed due to injuries/players quitting on the team after halftime.
If Sanders wants to chase one more championship, the Bucs can give him a spot on the roster for $3-4 million.
Green Bay Packers
Continuing with the theme of chasing a Super Bowl, the Green Bay Packers fit the bill. Although their odds to win a Super Bowl dropped after Davante Adams was shipped off to Las Vegas, when your quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, you always have a chance. At the very least, the Packers will be in the playoffs in 2022.
Right now, the Packers’ WR1 is Allen Lazard. Behind him are sophomore receiver Amari Rodgers, 32-year-old Randall Cobb, and Juwann Winfree. Sanders shouldn’t be asked to do more than serve as rotational depth at this point in his career, but he’s still better than every Packer wide receiver other than Lazard.
I don’t see Sanders returning for another year to play for a bad team. In Green Bay, he would get the chance to play with Rodgers and possibly play in another Super Bowl.
The Packers have managed to create $20 million in salary cap space. They wouldn’t need to spend more than $3-4 million of that on a one-year deal for Sanders.
