By Jordan Long
The San Francisco 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 24-20 in Super Bowl 54. Kansas City outscored the 49ers 21-0 in the 4th quarter to take home their first Super Bowl title in 50 years. Now that the Super Bowl is over, the 49ers have a decision to make on wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.
Sanders was traded from the Denver Broncos to the 49ers on October 22nd, 2019. The Broncos at the time were 2-5. San Francisco needed veteran wide receiver help to add another weapon for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The 49ers sent a 3rd and 4th round picks in the 2020 draft for Sanders.
Sanders quickly learned the offense. In 9 games for the 49ers, he caught 36 passes for 502 yards and 13 touchdowns. With Sanders’ speed, he was a threat to score every time he had the football because Sanders caused defenders to miss him in the open field. His average yards per catch in the regular season with the 49ers was an impressive 13.9.
Sanders helped the 49ers to a 13-3 record, earning the number 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. In the Super Bowl run for the 49ers, Sanders didn’t do too much. San Francisco mostly ran the football to control the clock. He ended up with 5 receptions for 71 yards.
Now that the year is over for the 49ers, Sanders is a free agent. The 49ers should bring him back. They didn’t have a true number 1 receiver before Sanders. He fixed that need. Sanders proved he was the threat for the 49ers ‘ offense.
It could come down to money. His last contract paid him $11 million a year. Sanders’ asking price may have gone up because of his play. Sanders could want $12 to $14 million a year, a lot for the 49ers to take on.
It may be difficult for the 49ers to enter a bidding war with another team over Sanders. If they let Sanders go, there are other free agent wide receivers they could sign including Danny Amendola, Randall Cobb, and Amari Cooper. All them would be replacements for Sanders. NFL free agency starts on March 18th. The 49ers have plenty of time to decide what to do with Sanders.
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