DENVER — After 12 seasons in the NFL, former Broncos Pro Bowl receiver Emmanuel Sanders announced his retirement Wednesday.
Sanders cited his family, his health and last year’s passing of Demaryius Thomas — who was posthumously diagnosed with CTE — as the primary reasons for stepping away from the game and into a new career in the TV booth.
“I’ve got two kids, I’ve got a beautiful wife — I have something that’s bigger than football,” Sanders said. “I want to see my grandkids, see my kids grow old, I want to grow old. Football is tough on the body. I lost a close friend in Demaryius Thomas, and for me it’s about longevity of life now.”
Sanders said he already has a TV gig lined up, but declined to say what network he’ll be going to, as his contract isn’t finalized.
“I had a heck of a career — 12 years, three Super Bowls. I feel like, what else do I have to prove?” he said. “Now, I wake up in the morning and I’m dropping the kids off at school, I’m making sandwiches for my daughter. I see the beauty in that and I’m happy.”
Sanders, 35, caught 28 of his 51 career touchdown passes with Denver. He had 404 catches for 5,361 yards in 78 regular-season games in orange and blue, and two Pro Bowl selections.
A third-round pick by the Steelers out of Southern Methodist in 2010, Sanders finishes his career with 704 catches for 9,245 yards in 172 games. The Bellville, Texas, native played his first four seasons in Pittsburgh, where he appeared in 56 games, with 18 starts.
“I came into the league and they said I would be a fourth or fifth receiver,” Sanders recalled. “I’m 5-foot-11, I’m 175 (pounds). … But I played with my heart. I was willing to do whatever and put (my body) on the line to try to get a win, to make the crowd roar, to make the plays necessary.”
Sanders’ memorable tenure with the Broncos almost didn’t happen.
As a free agent in March 2014, Sanders was at the Chiefs’ facility, minutes from signing with Kansas City. But a last-minute call from then-GM John Elway while Sanders sat in negotiations — he wanted a three-year deal, and K.C. wanted to sign him for four years — changed the receiver’s plans, and his career trajectory. Sanders signed with Denver instead.
“I was just trying to get out of there so I could go really celebrate because I’m about to play with Peyton Freaking Manning, The Sheriff,” Sanders said. “I was trying to leave, and (Kansas City coach) Andy Reid’s car came flying up to me. He goes, ‘What is going on!?’ ”
Reid thought it was a done deal.
“That is how close it was to me signing with the Chiefs. But I ended up coming here, which was the best thing ever.”
Sanders said he got affirmation that he made the right decision in his first preseason game with Denver. He caught two touchdowns and racked up 128 yards receiving in the first half of his Denver debut against the Texans. In the locker room at halftime, a tidal wave of emotion hit him.
“I remember going in the locker room, and I went straight to the bathroom,” Sanders said. “Guys was like, ‘What the heck is wrong with this dude?’ And I remember sitting there crying in the stall, thanking God because I knew that this was a place that He sent me and I knew that I was going to do something special.”
Over six years with Denver, he eclipsed 1,000 yards three times (2014-16) and posted career highs in catches (101) and touchdowns (nine) in ’14. That was Sanders’ first of two seasons with Manning, and he also set a career high with 1,404 yards receiving that year.
Sanders made mention of his close relationship with Thomas, with whom he played for five seasons. In ’14, Sanders and Thomas each eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark, with Thomas setting the single-season franchise record with 1,619 yards, as they paced the league with 3,023 combined yards on 212 catches.
“When I got here, I saw Demaryius, and I said, ‘This guy is special,’ ” Sanders said. “I told him, ‘You’re Batman, but I’m going to be the best Robin you ever had.’ ”
Traded at midseason of 2019, Sanders reached the Super Bowl with San Francisco (36 catches in 10 games), where the 49ers lost to the Chiefs. He followed with one year apiece with New Orleans (61 catches in ’20 on a career-high 74.4 catch percentage) and Buffalo (42 catches last year).
Sanders ranks 10th in Broncos history in receiving yards, seventh in catches and 12th in touchdown catches.
