Emmanuel Sanders, who had his biggest game in three years in New Orleans in December, is joining the Saints on a two-year deal.
According to ESPN, the deal is worth up to as much as $19 million.
The 49ers acquired Sanders from Denver for third- and fourth-round picks in October and received a fifth-round selection in return. The veteran receiver immediately paid dividends, catching a touchdown pass in his first game in a red-and-gold uniform, then catching seven passes for 112 yards in his second.
Sanders’ biggest effect might have been on the team’s young pass catchers. Kyle Shanahan said on several occasions that the veteran’s presence took pressure off Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne, both of whom played better in the second half of the season. Samuel’s per-game receiving average, for example, nearly doubled after Sanders arrived.
His departure leaves the 49ers with two sure things at receiver — Samuel and Bourne, a restricted free agent — and a slew of question marks.
Former second-round pick Dante Pettis, for example, underperformed in his second season and was a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl as the 49ers, for the first time since Shanahan took over, decided to go with only four receivers in that game. Shanahan has said Pettis needs to go on “
a mission” in the offseason.
The 49ers also have Richie James, who mostly has been used on special teams, and a pair of slot receivers, Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd, who were injured for all of the 2019 season. Hurd (back) was on track to be medically cleared next month. Taylor (foot) might take a little longer but is expected to be fully cleared, too. Sanders lined up in the slot 27 percent of the time after he joined the 49ers.
“Our receivers — we’ve got a lot of young guys,” Shanahan said last month. “That’s why we thought it was important to bring in Emmanuel. And he did everything and more. I do not think we would have got (to) where we got without Emmanuel. I would love (more) than anything to have Emmanuel back. Bad. But we’ve got to see how that all plays out, too. When you look at all our young receivers, we’ve invested in … we have some players in our building.”
The 49ers also have the 13th overall pick in next month’s draft and could have a
shot at one of the top pass catchers in a draft class teeming with excellent receivers. As far as veteran possibilities, Taylor Gabriel — who has played under Shanahan in the past and who is represented by the same agent as Sanders — is a free agent.
The Athletic’s David Lombardi estimates the 49ers are $10 million to $11 million below the salary cap. The team must leave enough space to sign its rookie class and also is working on a long-term deal for tight end George Kittle. The 49ers could clear more space by releasing receiver Marquise Goodwin, who has been slowed by injuries in each of the past two seasons. Goodwin, who caught 12 passes in 2019, is scheduled to count nearly $5 million against the salary cap in 2020.
Sanders, who turned 33 earlier this month, said he was impressed with the 49ers’ locker room culture as soon as he arrived in Santa Clara. He noted that he had made plenty of money throughout his career and that winning was paramount as he reached his mid-30s.
“A lot of people don’t understand, yeah the money’s good, I’ve made my fair share of that, but I think it’s about happiness,” Sanders said in October. “It’s about happiness, it’s about, is it worth it? Because for me, if I’m just playing for the money and then we talk about longevity, it’s not worth it for me. I love playing football, I love being happy, I love winning games, and I think that’s going to be definitely the ultimate deciding factor of where I go.”
In New Orleans, he’ll get to work alongside receiver Michael Thomas and catch passes from Drew Brees. Like the 49ers, the Saints finished the 2019 season with a 13-3 record, but they wound up with the No. 3 seed largely because of a wild, 48-46 loss to the 49ers in New Orleans in Week 14.
Sanders finished with seven catches for 157 yards in that game, his most productive outing since 2016. He also threw a 35-yard touchdown to running back Raheem Mostert. The 49ers are scheduled to visit Sanders and the Saints during the upcoming season.
after the draft
come mini camps (if they are held this year)
first week of the offseason
once the first Brick by Brick video is posted telling us we going 14-2. You always end up doing this 
