Emmanuel Sanders admittedly didn't want to speak with reporters last week as San Francisco 49ers players cleaned out their lockers one last time before breaking for the offseason, which was understandable. He had, after all, just suffered through a Super Bowl defeat.
Sanders knows the NFL is always changing. He also made it clear that he wasn't thinking about his potential 49ers future at the time. The veteran receiver is scheduled to become a free agent next month. He isn't sure what his NFL future holds, only that he knows he wants to keep playing.
For anyone who doubts that Sanders has more left in the tank, the 10-year veteran sent out a reminder via Twitter on Tuesday.
😂 Its crazy how people keep talking bout my age but I'm still flying past 23 year olds and only had 2 drops the entire year. 1 with the broncos and one with the niners. Keep bringing up my age to make yourself feel good but go look at the film.
— Emmanuel Sanders (@ESanders_10) February 12, 2020
I'm still playing at a high level and will continue to play at a high level as long as I want bc my heart is immeasurable and my work ethic is second to none!
— Emmanuel Sanders (@ESanders_10) February 12, 2020
Sanders made an impact on the 49ers after a mid-season trade sent him from the Denver Broncos to the 49ers. Aside from his 36 receptions for 502 yards and three touchdowns over 10 games with his new team, the veteran's presence made an impact on the development of a young receiver group, including rookie Deebo Samuel.
Samuel saw his average receiving yards per game increase from 33.6 before Sanders' arrival to 63.4 after the trade. That increase includes three games of 100-or-more receiving yards.
"I enjoyed this season," Sanders told reporters last week. "I love the Niners organization, so we're going to see what's going to happen."
Sanders' quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, praised the veteran receiver when asked about him last week.
"He was exactly what we needed on this team," Garoppolo said. "That veteran presence for the younger receivers, for just everyone, myself included. Just everything he did, he did it with class, and you couldn't ask for a better teammate."
Added Garoppolo: "I would love to have E back. Like I said before, all the good things he did for us, but we'll see what happens. He's one of a kind, love that guy."