The Bills knew they wanted Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders knew he wanted Buffalo.
With the Saints in the kind of cap crunch that caused them to cut Sanders loose, it was time for Sanders to land in Western New York.
“He’s a guy we’ve tracked for a couple of years. He’s been in winning locker rooms,” coach Sean McDermott said this week, via the Associated Press. “He’s had some big-time impressive numbers. Listen, you never want to lose your fastball.”
Sanders had been tracking the Bills, too.
“I used to sit on my off days on a Tuesday, I’d grab my iPad, and I would watch the Buffalo Bills, the coach’s film, and just the routes they were running,” Sanders said. “You’re seeing Josh [Allen] run around and rip the ball 60 yards down the field, it was just exciting to watch. It’s a reason why everybody is starting to talk about the Bills because they’re gaining traction.”
The Bills landed Sanders with a one-year, $6 million deal, most of which is guaranteed. He replaces John Brown on the depth chart, giving Buffalo a formidable group at the position -- Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Cole Beasley, and Sanders.
Sanders, 34, has a trio of 1,000-yard seasons, all with the Broncos. The last came in 2016.
He won a Super Bowl in Denver to cap the 2015 season, and he nearly won a second with the 49ers in 2019. With the game on the line, Sanders got open deep. The throw, however, was off the mark.
With Josh Allen throwing the passes in Buffalo, that’s less likely to happen.