Emmanuel Sanders is getting set to become one of the top wide receivers on the NFL free-agent market this offseason, which is not something a whole lot of people expected after he tore his Achilles last year.
But Sanders had a strong bounceback season between the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, catching 66 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns.
He is 32 years old and does have a serious injury in his rearview mirror, so his options will be fairly limited in free agency, but there is no doubt that contenders will be lining up to express interest in the wide out.
So, here are the five best landing spots for Emmanuel Sanders this offseason.
This one is certainly the least likely of the bunch, as the Raiders should be going for youth more than anything else, but Las Vegas is in desperate need for a receiver.
Thanks to the Antonio Brown fiasco, all the Raiders are really left with in their receiving corps is Tyrell Williams and Hunter Renfrow. Williams is solid, but he isn't a true No. 1, and Renfrow is really just a slot guy.
Not that Sanders is a No. 1 receiver at this stage of his career, but he would at least provide Derek Carr (or whoever is under center for Las Vegas in 2020) with a reliable option.
Fortunately, the Raiders have a stud of a tight end in Darren Waller, but they are incredibly limited at the wide receiver position, and bringing in Sanders on a one-year deal could be of big help.
Let's be honest here: the Ravens' gimmicky offense was exposed in the playoffs.
While Lamar Jackson is a dynamic dual-threat quarterback and the backfield of Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards is terrific, Baltimore doesn't have a ton of weapons in its receiving corps.
There is young wide out Marquise Brown, who was probably the Ravens' best wide receiver in 2019, but he caught just 46 passes for 584 yards and seven touchdowns.
Baltimore's next most productive wide out? Willie Snead, who totaled 31 grabs for 339 yards and five scores.
I understand that the Ravens have a really good tight end duo in Mark Andrews and Hayden Hurst, but they need another wide out who can help open the field for Jackson and to keep the defense off-balance.
3. San Francisco 49ers
Why not just stay with the 49ers?
For all of the talk about how shaky Jimmy Garoppolo has looked, he hasn't exactly had a whole lot of receivers to throw to. As a matter of fact, before San Francisco landed Emmanuel Sanders at the trade deadline, the Niners had one of the league's worst receiving corps.
Don't get me wrong: there is potential here. Deebo Samuel could be a stud, and we haven't even gotten to see Jalen Hurd yet due to a back injury that knocked him out for his entire rookie campaign, but other than that, there isn't a whole lot to be excited about as far as the 49ers' wide receivers are concerned. And my goodness: Dante Pettis was a massive disappointment in 2019.
Garoppolo needs more than just Samuel and tight end George Kittle, so re-signing Sanders should be a priority this March.
Aaron Rodgers is now 36 years old and is clearly declining, so whether people want to admit it or not, the Green Bay Packers' window of opportunity is slowly shutting.
That's why the Packers are one of the teams who can afford to spend on an aging wide receiver like Emmanuel Sanders.
Outside of Davante Adams, Green Bay's receiving corps are very thin. Geronimo Allison and Jake Kumerow have disappointed, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling looks to be nothing more than a good No. 3. As for Allen Lazard? There seems to be some potential there, but I'm not sure Rodgers can depend on him as a top option heading into 2020.
Sanders would be a perfect fit here, as he and Adams would comprise a rather impressive duo that could make Rodgers look young(er) again.
I'm not sure there is a contending club in the NFL that is more in need of receiving help than the Patriots.
Of course, a lot of this depends on whether or not Tom Brady returns for 2020 (I think he will), but assuming he does, he needs some help.
Yes, there is Julian Edelman, but he is 34 years old and is coming off shoulder surgery. N'Keal Harry could have a big sophomore year, but the jury is very much out on him after injuries abbreviated his rookie season.
It's not like New England has a reliable tight end like many of the other squads on this list, either.
Again, this isn't the same Emmanuel Sanders from years back, but he showed this year that he is still good enough to make an impact, and he is a heck of a lot better than just about anything else the Pats' current roster has to offer.
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