Cowboys Reached Out to WR Emmanuel Sanders - But He's Signing With Saints

FRISCO - As we reached the end of Week 1 of NFL Free Agency, the Dallas Cowboys reached out to Emmanuel Sanders, a source tells CowboysSI.com. But NOLA extended a bit farther, and the just-turned 33-year-old is joining the New Orleans Saints.

There was hope that Sanders would get a birthday-week wish granted by the Cowboys, as we're told that NFL Network's Jane Slater report of some mutual interest earlier this week carried weight as the process moved forward with contact between the club and the 5-11, 180-pound Sanders, a third-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, who is still going strong.

A second source, however, downplayed the Dallas interest level (maybe due to the finances involved); so we might characterize the "reach out'' as "unofficial.''

"I’m still playing at a high level and will continue to play at a high level as long as I want,'' he tweeted, "because my heart is immeasurable and my work ethic is second to none!''

In 2019, he had 66 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns in 2019, numbers split between his time in Denver and then after getting traded to San Francisco. He had 36 catches for 502 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games, helping the 49ers reach the Super Bowl - and yesterday in a Facebook chat sounds intrigued by a return to The Bay, too.

Sanders is a two-time Pro Bowler who had a superstar season in 2014, with 101 catches and 1,400 yards with nine touchdowns for the Broncos.

After losing Randall Cobb in free agency, Sanders could've fit as a slot receiver alongside the just-re-signed Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. Some projections have him as a $10-mil player (twice what Dallas was paying Cobb) - and Sanders likely agrees with that - but the Cowboys would've surely be seeking a "home-town discount'' from Sanders, a native Texan who played at SMU and works out in Dallas. ... but will now also be close to “home” in Louisiana.