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Emmanuel Sanders | Wide Receiver

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers
Age / DOB:  (26) / 3/17/1987
Ht / Wt:  5'11' / 186
College: Southern Methodist
Contract: view contract details
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Emmanuel Sanders hopes to sign a long-term contract with the Steelers.
"I love the Pittsburgh Steelers," he said. "I want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. I'm happy that I'm still a Pittsburgh Steeler. Hopefully we can work out a long-term deal, and I can be a Steeler for my entire career." In a perfect world, the Steelers would extend Sanders and lower his $2.5 million cap number, but they aren't allowed to reduce his 2013 salary after matching the Patriots' RFA offer sheet. Not a realistic candidate for the franchise tag, there's a pretty good chance Sanders reaches the open market in 2014. May 1 - 3:20 PM
Source: ESPN.com

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Player News

Date:
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

Emmanuel Sanders' agent claims "several" teams made offers in restricted free agency, and that he's content to play under a one-year deal.

If "several" teams indeed made offers, it's safe to assume none of them offered more than the Patriots' $2.5 million, meaning Sanders' market was still fairly soft. That is the rule, not the exception, for restricted free agents. Sanders' rep says he's "open" to an extension, but that it would take a "very good deal" to prevent him from hitting the open market next winter. The Steelers aren't allowed to lower Sanders' $2.5 million 2013 salary, so there's no urgency to get a long-term deal done to lower his cap number.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Apr 15 - 12:21 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

NFL.com's Albert Breer reports the Patriots didn't have a long-term agreement in place with Emmanuel Sanders when they signed him to a one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet, but that most around the league "don't believe it."

According to Breer, the Steelers think the Patriots were "gaming" the restricted free agency system with their offer. Sanders was believed to be the first RFA in league history to sign a one-year offer sheet with a new team. The suspicion is that the Pats didn't want to give the Steelers the opportunity to match their long-term offer, which likely would have been affordable.
Related: Patriots
Source: Albert Breer on Twitter
Apr 15 - 8:36 AM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

Steelers matched restricted free agent WR Emmanuel Sanders' one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet from the Patriots.

Sanders will stay in Pittsburgh on the same contract, though the Steelers may soon try to sign him to a long-term deal, lowering Sanders' cap number and keeping him beyond 2013. Sanders, 26, posted a 44/626/14.2/1 line as Pittsburgh's slot receiver last season and will replace Mike Wallace at X in Todd Haley's offense. Assuming the Steelers don't draft a big-time receiver, Sanders will offer sleeper appeal in 2013 fantasy football. The Pats will likely now attack receivers in the draft, potentially using two of their five picks at the position.
Related: Patriots
Source: Jordan Woy on Twitter
Apr 14 - 6:18 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports Ben Roethlisberger is "lobbying" Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to match the Patriots' one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders.

So the Sanders decision will be a good litmus test of how much power Big Ben has within the organization. The Steelers are still going to make the best possible business decision, and that may very well involve letting Sanders go and accepting the 91st overall draft pick in return. Because the 2013 draft is deep on wide receiver talent, we tentatively expect Pittsburgh to cut bait on Sanders. But there are indications that this thing could go either way.
Related: Patriots
Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter
Apr 13 - 6:15 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

The Steelers have until 11:59:59ET on Sunday night to match the Patriots' one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders.

If there is no word, Sanders will then become property of the Patriots when the clock strikes midnight. Nobody knows which way the Steelers are leaning. The most recent report says Pittsburgh is still "up in the air" on whether to match, while the decision will likely come down to ownership. The Patriots would try to hammer out a long-term deal with Sanders if they are able to land him.
Related: Patriots
Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter
Apr 13 - 2:44 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

Profootballtalk reports the Steelers are "up in the air" on whether to match the Patriots' one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders.

ESPN's John Clayton has reported chances of Pittsburgh matching are "50-50." We suspect the Steelers will ultimately not match, accept New England's No. 91 overall pick as compensation, and attack the skill positions in the draft. Regardless of whether or not Sanders is on the Steelers' 2013 roster, Cordarrelle Patterson of Tennessee should be on their radar at No. 17.
Related: Patriots
Source: Profootballtalk on NBC Sports
Apr 13 - 1:14 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

ESPN's John Clayton reports the Steelers are "50-50" to match restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders' one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet with the Patriots.

Per Clayton, "some" in the organization prefer letting Sanders walk and netting the Patriots' third-round pick (No. 91), while others would rather match the offer. An increasingly ancient Jerricho Cotchery is the "leading candidate" to slide into the starting lineup if Sanders bolts. That alone would seem to be enough reason to buck up, match the offer and deal with Sanders' unrestricted free agency next offseason, but the Steelers seem truly split. They have until Sunday to decide. Losing Sanders would be another big blow to Ben Roethlisberger's supporting cast, which has already lost Mike Wallace to free agency and Heath Miller to a catastrophic late-season knee injury.
Related: Patriots
Source: John Clayton on Twitter
Apr 12 - 12:16 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

An anonymous AFC executive expects the Patriots to sign restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders to a long-term contract if the Steelers to decline to match their one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet.

"I don't believe for a second that Bill Belichick is giving up a third-round pick for Sanders for only one year," the exec told Yahoo's Jason Cole. Such a move is considered dirty pool around the league, but isn't illegal. The "fair" way to conduct such a transaction would be to sign Sanders to his long-term deal from the get-go, giving the Steelers a chance to match the true parameters. Per Cole, Sanders is believed to be the first RFA in league history to sign a one-year offer sheet with a new team. The one-year arrangement is in the Pats' favor because the Steelers are right up against the cap. In a normal long-term agreement, Sanders' first-year cap number would likely be lower than $2.5 million.
Related: Patriots
Source: Yahoo Sports
Apr 10 - 5:47 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirms the Steelers could match the Patriots' one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet for restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders in a "heartbeat."

The question is whether they want to. If the Steelers were dead-set on keeping Sanders for 2013 and beyond, they likely would have tendered him at the first- or second-round level. Beat writer Ed Bouchette believes the Steelers should let Sanders walk, and send the Patriots a "big thank you bouquet" because of the cap space and draft compensation it would provide. Pittsburgh has five days to make up its mind.
Related: Patriots
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Apr 10 - 4:43 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

Restricted free agent WR Emmanuel Sanders' one-year offer sheet with the Patriots is worth just $2.5 million.

The Steelers are up against the cap, but it's an easily matchable offer if they're serious about keeping the fourth-year pro. They have until Sunday to decide. The Steelers will get New England's third-round pick (No. 91) if they let Sanders walk. Sanders would likely sign a long-term extension upon becoming a Patriot. The Steelers have a sterling track record of finding young receivers, and could conceivably select Sanders' replacement in this month's draft if they let him go.
Related: Patriots
Source: Adam Schefter on Twitter
Apr 10 - 3:36 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

The Patriots have submitted a one-year offer sheet on restricted free agent WR Emmanuel Sanders.

By tendering Sanders at the third-round level and leaving themselves with under $3 million in cap room, the Steelers are at risk of the rare restricted free agent loss. They'll have five days to match the offer and may be able to, but they'd have to do more restructuring (likely of Troy Polamalu) that'd further bludgeon their cap situation down the line. The Patriots, meanwhile, are intent on aggressively remaking their receiver corps after moving on from Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd. If the Steelers don't match, New England will hand over a third-round pick (No. 91 overall) in this month's draft and likely try to sign Sanders -- who turned 26 in March -- to a long-term deal.
Related: Patriots
Source: Jason La Canfora on Twitter
Apr 10 - 10:26 AM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

ESPN Boston's Mike Reiss put the chances of the Patriots signing restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders to an offer sheet at "15 percent."

"My sense is that the longer things drag out with Sanders, the less likely they would draw out an offer sheet," said Reiss. Sanders visited the Patriots three days after free agency opened, but it has been quiet since. Per NFLPA records, the Steelers have just $2.07 million in cap room. The Patriots may be waiting until the April 19 deadline to make Sanders an offer, forcing Pittsburgh's hand.
Related: Patriots
Source: ESPN Boston
Apr 4 - 3:10 PM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

ESPN Boston suggests the Patriots could be waiting until closer to the April 19 deadline before signing RFA Emmanuel Sanders to an offer sheet.

Sanders took a visit to New England shortly after free agency opened, but there's been little buzz since then. If the Patriots do end up signing him to an offer sheet, the Steelers would have the right to match. Their ability to do so will be limited by their cap space, which figures to shrink as the weeks move on. Waiting until mid-April to pounce is a no-brainer move for Bill Belichick and company. Per ESPN Boston, "there are some in the Patriots' organization" who think very highly of Sanders.
Related: Patriots
Source: ESPN Boston
Mar 26 - 9:33 AM
Emmanuel Sanders - WR - Steelers

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert confirms the team hasn't received an offer sheet from the Patriots for restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders.

Teams that sign restricted free agents to offer sheets are required to notify the rights-holding club at once, so it's 100 percent confirmation Sanders has yet to receive an offer. That could change as early as Monday, but for now the Steelers' claim to their would-be No. 2 receiver remains unchallenged.
Related: Patriots
Source: Bob Labriola on Twitter
Mar 17 - 3:35 PM

Depth Charts

Skill Players
PosRoleName
QB1Ben Roethlisberger
2Bruce Gradkowski
3Landry Jones
4John Parker Wilson
RB1Le'Veon Bell
2Isaac Redman
3La'Rod Stephens-Howling
4Jonathan Dwyer
5Baron Batch
GLB1Le'Veon Bell
2Isaac Redman
3RB1Le'Veon Bell
2La'Rod Stephens-Howling
FB1Will Johnson
WR11Antonio Brown
2Markus Wheaton
3Justin Brown
4David Gilreath
5Reggie Dunn
WR21Emmanuel Sanders
2Jerricho Cotchery
3Plaxico Burress
4Derek Moye
5Kashif Moore
WR31Jerricho Cotchery
TE1Heath Miller
2Matt Spaeth
3David Paulson
4David Johnson
5Jamie McCoy
K1Shaun Suisham
2Danny Hrapmann