Before Emmanuel Sanders joined the Buffalo Bills this past week, the veteran wide receiver was admiring Josh Allen and his high-powered offense from afar.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Sanders signed a one-year deal worth $6 million, but he could also earn up to $500k in incentives.
This past year, Sanders had his own team to worry about as he provided the recently retired Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints with a viable target on the outside. He made 61 catches for 726 yards and five touchdowns. But, Sanders also missed two games when he spent time on the Covid-19 list in Weeks 7 and 8.
But, during his off days, Sanders said he was tuned into the coaches tape and he was watching the Bills offense work.
“I would sit and I would grab my Ipad and I would watch the Buffalo Bills offense on my Ipad,” Sanders said during his introductory press conference earlier this week. “Just watching the routes they were running, seeing Josh run around and ripping the ball 50 or 60 yards down the field, it’s just exciting to watch. It’s the reason why everyone is starting to talk about them. Because they are gaining traction and it’s fun to watch and it’s one of the reasons I joined.”
Sanders will be entering his age 34 season this year and the Bills will be the fifth team of his career. Heading into his 12th year in the league, Sanders has racked up 8,619 yards and 47 touchdowns.
We’re LIVE with @ESanders_10 after signing his contract.
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Sanders is Rejoining an Old Teammate
Sanders will be the new guy in the wide receiver room, but he’ll also have some familiar faces next to him. Before Sanders was drafted into the NFL back in 2010, he played his college ball at SMU, alongside current Bills wide receiver Cole Beasley.
Beasley joined the league two years later in 2012 but even after all that time has passed, Sanders is just as excited to play with Beasley as he was back in college.
“I’m going into my 12th year and I’m playing with one of my college teammates,” Sanders said in his video conference call. “What is the coincidence of that, right? It’s just amazing. Me and Cole, we trained together and we grinded together at SMU. We played in a lot of good games and had a lot of yards together. To be back together, it means a lot.”
The Bills even shared an old photo of the teammates on their Twitter earlier this week to spur up memories and get fans excited for what the pair could do this season.
Like they never left. 🤙
Beasley is coming off his best season in the NFL. He set career highs with 82 catches for 967 yards and four touchdowns. Beasley also played on a broken fibula late in the season but still gutted out a few stellar performances in the playoffs.
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Sanders Admits He Was Wrong About Blue Cheese
The newest Buffalo Bills wide receiver had been in Buffalo for less than 24 hours and he was already trying to impress the Bills fan base.
Sanders took a trip to a local restaurant during his time in Buffalo and took the time to try blue cheese with wings, a delicacy in Buffalo, and he admitted he was wrong about it.
I was wrong about blue cheese. 😳 I guess the blue cheese is different in Buffalo. 🔥
The blue cheese isn’t the only thing that has won Sanders over during his short time in his new city either. He said he could already tell how special the people of Buffalo were.
“I’ve been here for 24 hours and I can already tell you that I love the city because they just have down to earth people,” Sanders said. “They just have great people here. My financial advisor, he’s been my financial advisor since 2015 and he was actually born and raised here. He always talks about Buffalo.”
If Sanders can come in and produce the numbers he’s put up his entire career, Bills Mafia will more than likely return the love.
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New WR Admired Bills Offense From Afar: ‘It’s Fun to Watch’