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Emmanuel Sanders could be heading home. The 10-year veteran wide receiver grew up in Belville, Texas, just outside of Houston, but attended college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. According to Jane Slater of NFL Network, Sanders, who works out and lives in Dallas in the offseason, has mutual interest with signing for the Cowboys.
The #Cowboys have expressed an interest in 2x Pro Bowler and former SMU wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders per a source informed. Sanders, last with the 49ers, trains in Dallas in the offseason and is equally interested in the #Cowboys I’m told.
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) March 18, 2020
The 49ers traded a third- and fourth-round pick to the Denver Broncos last season for Sanders and a fifth-round pick. San Francisco could well receive a compensatory pick for losing him, but that wouldn’t convey until next offseason.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said at the NFL Combine that he wanted to bring Sanders back “bad” but that the 49ers’ cap reality made that not quite the easiest decision. Sanders was rightfully credited for having a substantial impact on both Kendrick Bourne and Deebo Samuel, who improved noticeably once he joined the team.
His impact was as much as providing a veteran talent (41 catches, 573 yards, 3 TD with 49ers) and consistent threat outside of George Kittle as it was about mentoring and challenging those young wide outs.