Emmanuel Sanders Reveals He Considered Packers, 49ers Before Saints Contract

Emmanuel Sanders joined the New Orleans Saints on a two-year, $16 million deal after playing last season with the Denver Broncos and NFC champion San Francisco 49ers.

Sanders jumped on The Rich Eisen Show Monday and gave some insight into his free-agency process, noting that he spoke with the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and 49ers before joining the Saints.

Any chance Sanders had of going to the Bills ended quickly, as Buffalo traded for Minnesota Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs.

With them out of the picture, the NFL's three 13-win teams in the 49ers, Packers and Saints all came to light at various times.

In the end, Sanders chose the Saints, citing the NFL's all-time passing touchdown and yardage record holder Drew Brees, the all-time single-season leader in receptions in Michael Thomas and Super Bowl-winning head coach Sean Payton.

Sanders, 33, noted how the Saints' wide-open, spread offense mirrored that of the 2014 Denver Broncos, which featured him, quarterback Peyton Manning, wideouts Wes Welker and Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas helping the offense score the second-most points per game in football.

The 10-year veteran also expressed how his two-year deal matched the two-season pact that Brees also signed, so Sanders could be playing with him through the life of his contract.

Furthermore, Sanders said how the signing lit a new fire under him, and that his 11th season felt like his first as he heads to a team with the attainable goal of winning the Super Bowl.

The Saints offense looks unstoppable on paper, with Brees, Thomas, running backs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray, tight end Jared Cook, wideout Tre'Quan Smith and the entire starting offensive line returning.

With Sanders in the mix, the Saints can make the case to be the NFC's No. 1 contender for a Super Bowl berth. Sanders was productive last year with 66 catches, 869 yards and five touchdowns for the Broncos and 49ers.

His numbers are more impressive when considering that Denver's passing game sputtered with Joe Flacco under center and San Francisco's offense shares the wealth between a host of running backs, wideouts and tight end George Kittle.

Sanders may be entering season No. 11, but he has the potential for a fantastic year. As he noted on The Rich Eisen Show, he'll be playing indoors 11 times in 2020, perhaps conducive to a better individual performance. He'll also have Brees throwing him the ball, Thomas taking attention off him and Payton calling plays.

All of this points to a great season for Sanders and the Saints.