5 bold predictions for the 49ers in 2020 NFL free agency
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Emmanuel Sanders Walks in NFL Free Agency
Head coach Kyle Shanahan wants veteran wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders back in 2020.
“I do not think we would have got [to] where we got without Emmanuel,” Shanahan said, via The Athletic’s Matt Barrows (h/t SFGate.com’s Eric Ting). “I would love [more] than anything to have Emmanuel back. Bad. But we’ve got to see how that all plays out, too.”
Sanders, whom the 49ers acquired from the Denver Broncos by last year’s NFL trade deadline, made a substantial difference for Shanahan’s offense last year. But he’ll also turn 33 years old, and 2020 could be the final time he’s able to cash in on a lucrative contract.
According to Spotrac.com’s market-value tool, Sanders’ value is in the range of roughly $10 million per year — money San Francisco could afford to spend, but it’s questionable whether or not Shanahan and John Lynch elect to go that route.
Especially when you consider the stat splits pointed out by 49ers Webzone’s Al Sacco:
There’s no doubt Emmanuel Sanders is a good fit & helps the #49ers, but if you take out the NO & first Cardinals game, Sanders caught 27 passes for 304 yards and 1 TD in his other 10 games.
— Al Sacco (@AlSacco49) February 19, 2020
Would you pay $8-$10 mill per for what amounts to a 3rd option in the passing game?
Muddying the waters a bit is the fact this year’s NFL Draft class is laden with talented wide receivers. Even with a limited array of picks, the Niners can still find good developmental value later in the draft, assuming they don’t trade out of Round 1 and into the middle rounds.
San Francisco is currently short on some of those picks because of the Sanders trade. But if he inevitably walks in free agency, the Niners can possibly look forward to a compensatory selection in 2021.
An educated guess? Sanders plays somewhere else this season.