According to several media reports on Sunday, the three-year contract that former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders will sign with the Denver Broncos has a maximum value of $18 million and includes $6 million guaranteed.
Earlier reports had suggested that Sanders was looking for a contract similar to the five-year, $31.5 million deal former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Golden Tate signed several days ago with the Detroit Lions. As you can clearly see, Sanders came close to the average value part, but being as Tate received $13.25 million guaranteed as part of his deal, Sanders didn’t even get half of that.
The Steelers were prepared to let Sanders walk all along and reportedly never even made him an offer to return to Pittsburgh.
Prior to signing with the Broncos, Sanders and his new agent reportedly verbally agreed to a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs and then shopped that deal to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While what his side did technically didn’t break any rules, it certainly broke the honor code and appears to have upset several team executives in the process.
