USA TODAY International Edition
Unbeaten 49ers, Patriots trade for wide receivers
The NFL trade market for wide receivers is in full swing.
Just hours after the Patriots completed a deal with the Falcons to acquire Mohammed Sanu, the Broncos traded Emmanuel Sanders to the 49ers. Denver will also ship a fifth- round pick to the 49ers and will get third- and fourthround selections.
The trading deadline is next Tuesday. “Emmanuel had issues and we had issues, so that’s why it was a good time for us to go in different directions,” Broncos GM John Elway said in a conference call. “We were able to get the value we thought was fair, so that’s why we decided to make the deal.”
This trade might be the first of a series, if the Broncos opt to transition into a rebuild and swap their veteran players for draft capital.
Sanders spoke with multiple media outlets as he left the Broncos’ facility on Tuesday. “Anytime you break up or you leave a place, it’s tough; we definitely had a great run out here in Denver. I had a lot of great times,” he said.
The 49ers just improved to 6- 0 as one of the NFL’s two undefeated teams. Although San Francisco has been riding its stout defense to early success this season, the team ranks 25th in the NFL in passing offense, with only 214.5 passing yards per game.
Sanders, 32, is in his 10th season in the league and is an experienced route runner who should instantly give 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a valued weapon. Sanders has caught 30 passes for 367 yards and two TDs this season.
Hours after improving to 7- 0, the Patriots made a move to give quarterback
Tom Brady another weapon. The Falcons agreed to deal Sanu for a secondround pick. Sanu, 30, had 33 catches for 313 yards and a TD.
The Patriots walloped the Jets 33- 0 Monday without receiver Josh Gordon, who is battling knee and ankle injuries. They traded Demaryius Thomas to the Jets early in the season and released Antonio Brown less than two weeks after signing him.
Sanu joins an offensive attack that, led by Brady and a disciplined run game, ranks fifth in passing yards per game ( 279.7) and first in total points ( 31.9).