Should the 49ers Reunite With Emmanuel Sanders?

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is a free agent for the second-consecutive offseason after the Saints released him on Wednesday. The release wasn't anything more than the Saints trying to get under the salary cap threshold.

Now that Sanders is a free agent, there is a possibility that he can end up back with the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan was vocal about how much it hurt to lose Sanders in free agency last year. The impact he had in 2019 goes beyond the numbers as Deebo Samuel and Kendrick Bourne turned the corner in their development. Now the 49ers have a chance to sew up that wound and bring Sanders back.

Should the 49ers reunite with Sanders?

Absolutely not.

For starters, the 49ers should not sniff a wide receiver in free agency. That is one of their least concerning positions even with Bourne set to test the market. San Francisco needs to turn their attention to other pressing matters, so unless Sanders is willing to sign for cheap (I doubt it), then he should not be pursued.

I'm not at all saying Sanders wouldn't be able to come back and fit with the offense. Of course he would, he just proved it less than two years ago. He is also proving that he is still a fairly productive receiver as he tallied 61 catches for 726 yards and five scores.

But it is time for the 49ers to leave 2019 in the past. Teams that continue to ride the coattails of their past lose sight of their present and future. Seeing Sanders leave the 49ers was rough for Shanahan, but the reality is that if Sanders was re-signed, the 49ers likely would not have drafted Brandon Aiyuk.

When he left, it was inevitable that the 49ers were going to draft a receiver since it was loaded with them. It led them to Aiyuk, who is one of the biggest attractions for the 2021 season. In retrospect, the 49ers not going all-in on Sanders benefitted them. Aiyuk is the real deal and arguably their best receiver.

There is nothing more Sanders can provide the 49ers that he didn't already when he was last with the team. Both Samuel and Aiyuk are proving to be on the right trajectory for their careers. Keeping a young core is needed for the 49ers, not fill-in players like Sanders. Trading for him in 2019 made perfect sense considering the receiver position was so raw. But now it is a position that has two studs who can gash defenses.

Do not forget that George Kittle acts as a wideout too, so in reality Sanders would be the No. 4 receiver at best. So unless the 49ers are re-signing Bourne, then staying away from Sanders and any other receiver needs to be their plan.