Emmanuel Sanders signs with the Saints

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is signing with the New Orleans Saints on a two-year deal where he will make $16 million, and it can be worth up to $19 million over both seasons. Reports had come out early Friday morning that Dallas was a player. The money doesn’t seem like a lot. It’s doable if you cut a few guys here and there. It sounds like the 49ers weren’t interested in offering that or backloading the deal.

What I know is that Sanders reps were not interested in Dallas, and all of those reports were fake, which is saying something considering on Thursday afternoon Sanders himself referenced Dallas. The league spies I know said that Sanders reps shifted to Tampa Bay once a certain someone signed there, but to the extent of those talks, we’ll never know. The other team that he was talking to was New Orleans. The Saints were interested in both Sanders and Brandin Cooks over the last couple of days. Cooks were going to be at the top of their list, but they would have had to have a bidding war with other teams. Instead of doing that, they land Sanders.

It’s not a good feeling knowing the 49ers gave up two quality picks for a “rental,” but Sanders did a lot for San Francisco, and they were this close to winning it all. Get ready for even more mock drafts where the 49ers are targeting a wideout.