No retirements in the NFL may be more impactful than Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger calling it quits. But a veteran wideout might be joining them on the golf course in the near future.
On Thursday’s edition of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suggested he may retire. Sanders cited his children getting older and his inability to win a second Super Bowl ring as reasons he’s going to do “some reflecting.”
“I’ve got my son, he’s getting older,” Sanders said, via SI.com. “I’ve got a daughter getting older. And for the past three years, [I’ve] been traveling and moving from team to team, trying to win a Super Bowl. But I’ve got some reflecting I want to want to do and possibly retire. I don’t know yet. I’m just feeling it out.
“… After the [playoff loss] versus the Chiefs, you know, Josh Allen was like, ‘Hey, let’s run it back.’ And I was like, ‘Man, give me some time to reflect and see how I feel.'”
Emmanuel Sanders rose to prominence as a slot receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers between 2010 and 2013. It was as a member of the Denver Broncos opposite the late-great Demaryius Thomas where he really started becoming elite.
Between 2014 and 2016, Sanders had three straight 1,000-yard seasons and made the Pro Bowl twice. He won a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos in Super Bowl 50.
Since 2017, Sanders hasn’t been quite as dynamic of a receiving threat as he was with Peyton Manning under center. But he’s made three straight playoff appearances in stints with the 49ers, Saints and Bills.
Have we seen the last of Emmanuel Sanders on an NFL field?