Hey, this is cool. Emmanuel Sanders is stepping away from the NFL on his own terms. The former New Orleans Saints wide receiver announced his retirement on Wednesday after 12 years in the NFL, in which he suited up for five different teams, winning a Super Bowl title and earning several Pro Bowl nods. And he’s chosen to retire as a Bronco.
That’s no slight to the Saints or any of Sanders’ other teams (including the Bills, 49ers, and Steelers). He had his best years in Denver, won a championship there, and clearly loves the area — his family has continued to live there while he’s gone on to play for a couple of different franchises. It makes a lot of sense for him to put the navy and orange on one last time. And, yeah, Sanders made sure to thank New Orleans and every other organization that’s given him a chance in his announcement.
So good for him. Sanders made an immediate impact on the Saints as a veteran presence during the, ah, tumultuous 2020 campaign and stepped into a larger role than he initially signed up for after Michael Thomas went down with a Week 1 injury. He set a new personal record for receptions in a single game and shared some fun memories with Sean Payton. Sanders also brings great energy on the mic and on camera, and should have his pick of media jobs now that his playing days are behind him. We’ll keep an eye out for which outlet makes a smart hire here, but for now let’s just wish him well in retirement.
“I gave it my all. Every single rep, every single play, I tried to go 100 percent as hard as I can. And that’s why I can hang my hat and say I gave the game everything I had and the game gave it back to me.”@ESanders_10 announces his retirement as a Bronco: pic.twitter.com/q1QTmy673s
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 7, 2022
