The San Francisco 49ers have agreed to a one-year deal with wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, according to the player's agent (h/t to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area).
Pumped for @Mo_12_Sanu agreeing to a 1 year deal with the @49ers
— Mike McCartney (@MikeMcCartney7) September 15, 2020
There is familiarity with the veteran receiver. Kyle Shanahan worked with Sanu for a season in Atlanta when the 49ers head coach was the offensive coordinator there.
Sanu, 31, spent last season with the New England Patriots. San Francisco was also among the teams that pursued Sanu last season before Atlanta traded him to New England. The 49ers ended up trading for Emmanuel Sanders, who left this past offseason for the New Orleans Saints.
"I mean, he's a hell of a player," Shanahan said of Sanu on Monday. "Him being out there, it's always a possibility. We'll look into everything we have, though. We've got to know if our numbers are going to be up this week, which we don't have that settled yet. But I wouldn't rule that out at all.
"I mean, he's available, and he's definitely a guy that I respect, and I think everyone in this league respects. So, we'll see how it goes this week."
Sanu bolsters a receiver group that is without Deebo Samuel for at least the next two games, lost Jalen Hurd for the season, and has rookie Brandon Aiyuk and Richie James dealing with injuries. Added to that is All-Pro tight end George Kittle having suffered a knee sprain against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
General manager John Lynch said last season that the 49ers had Sanu and Sanders evenly ranked when looking into trade options last season.
Lynch added earlier this month: "[Sanu is] an excellent football player, one that has history with our staff, and so I think when a good football player becomes available, we're always interested, and we're always looking to see if they can help."
The Cincinnati Bengals made Sanu a third-round selection out of Rutgers in 2012. He registered 59 receptions for 520 yards with two touchdowns through 15 games in 2019.
Sanu has caught 403 passes for 4,507 yards with 26 touchdowns through his eight NFL seasons.
