2019 NFL trade deadline: Which teams made the best deals?
By John Buhler
2. Emmanuel Sanders to the San Francisco 49ers from the Denver Broncos
The San Francisco 49ers might just be the best team in the NFC this season. They are the only team in the NFC this season that has yet to suffer a loss. While the defense is playing amazing and so is the always handsome Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, the 49ers needed to add a bit of spark to their receiving corps before the deadline. They did just that on Oct. 22.
San Francisco was able to strike a deal with the Denver Broncos for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Denver is going nowhere this season, as Sanders had previously said the Broncos were in a “world of suck.” That’s not something you say if you want to stick with a team long-term. Looks like Sanders got his wish now that he’s off to greener pastures in Santa Clara.
Denver received third and fourth-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft in exchange for Sanders and a 2020 fifth-round pick. Sanders might be in his early 30s and past his prime as a player. That being said, a change of scenery and now playing for a serious Super Bowl contender has to be the spark that’ll get the most out of him the rest of the way.
San Francisco should be a great team for the coming years, so the 49ers could afford to dump two draft picks, as well pick up a day-three one in the deal for Sanders. The 49ers still aren’t elite at receiver, but we’ve seen repeatedly that the best receiving corps in football doesn’t win Super Bowls. Regardless, Sanders should make big plays in what looks to be a special year for the 49ers.