49ers should re-sign Emmanuel Sanders, but probably can’t

In an ideal world, the San Francisco 49ers would like to bring back wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in 2020. But the ability to do so won’t be easy.

There’s no questioning the San Francisco 49ers won the 2019 trade-deadline deal with the Denver Broncos, which netted them veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Sanders finished the season with 36 receptions, 502 receiving yards and three touchdowns during his time with San Francisco, positively shaking up the team’s depth chart at wide receiver and helping carry head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad all the way to the Super Bowl.

Now, Sanders is poised to hit NFL free agency.

“I enjoyed this season,” Sanders told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco after the Super Bowl. “I love the Niners organization, so we’re going to see what’s to happen.”

There’s little doubt the 49ers would entertain re-signing Sanders, who commanded a base salary of $10.15 million in 2019, per Over the Cap. Sanders’ seamless fit in Shanahan’s offense would also suggest he’d be open to staying, too, beyond just the sentimental reasons the veteran told Maiocco. The wideout provided an excellent security blanket for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, served as an experienced veteran amid a primarily young wide receiver corps and still has a lot of proverbial “gas left in the tank.”

Even if the Niners want Sanders back, however, the real question is whether or not they’d be able to make it happen.

For the first time in years, San Francisco has to be mindful of its salary cap situation. Including rollover from 2019, the 49ers are likely to carry just shy of $30 million in cap space for this offseason. Between $8 million and $10 million is typically reserved for a rookie NFL Draft class, and the team has to think about contract extensions for high-profile players, such as defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and tight end George Kittle — both of which could be massive deals.

Additionally, the 49ers could make re-signing pending free agents, defensive tackle Arik Armstead and defensive back Jimmie Ward, a higher priority.

There’s the age factor, too. Sanders will turn 33 years old this March. That could cut both ways, as it might mean Sanders would be willing to take a lesser deal to stay with the Niners instead of testing the open market, understanding the team is built to win now and operates a scheme in which he succeeded.

At the same time, though, Shanahan might want to go younger and cheaper, instead electing to push other wide receivers, such as Jalen Hurd and Trent Taylor — both of whom missed 2019 with injuries, into a more prominent role.

Sanders, too, might also realize this offseason will likely offer him the last chance to cash in on a lucrative contract. Age and other factors probably prevent him from landing a massive long-term deal, should he sign with San Francisco for one or two more seasons. And it’s hard to speculate him accepting something as small as that kind of contract anyway.

There is a positive if Sanders walks, though. As Niner Noise’s Akshaj Dwivedula pointed out, a compensatory pick could be on its way to the Niners, should he end up signing elsewhere and the team doesn’t acquire a net increase of free agents, compared to departures.

Regardless, the 49ers have plenty of other cap-related concerns facing them this offseason, meaning retaining Sanders will likely wind up being far too difficult when NFL free agency hits this spring.