With the pending free agency decision of San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, Pittsburgh Steelers fans have to wonder: Could Sanders return to Pittsburgh?
While Sanders admits that he would like to return to the Steelers, his relationship with the team's quarterback will likely prevent him from doing so.
“I would love that, but me and Ben don’t have the best relationship. I believe that bridge is burnt,” Sanders told Ed Bouchette of The Athletic.
Sanders spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh after the team drafted him in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. In those four seasons, the 5-foot-11 wideout recorded 161 catches for 2,030 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Sanders then spent the next five and a half seasons with the Denver Broncos, enjoying three-straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2014-2016. Sanders, along with a fifth-round pick was traded from Denver to the 49ers during the 2019 NFL trade deadline in exchange for a third and fourth-round pick.
In 10 games with San Francisco, the 32-year-old caught 36 passes for 502 yards and three touchdowns. Emmanuel Sanders' 49ers are set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in February. This postseason, the veteran wideout has caught just two passes for 33 yards.
With 869 total receiving yards this season, Sanders would have been the Steelers' leading receiver this season eclipsing James Washington's 735 yards. Sanders' five touchdowns would have also tied Diontae Johnson for the most among Pittsburgh's receivers.
With third-year star Juju Smith-Schuster dealing with injuries, the Steelers could use a veteran wideout like Sanders going into 2020. Unfortunately, it seems that as long as Big Ben is under center, the 49ers wideout isn't interested in making a return to the steel city.
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