The Pittsburgh Steelers were hours away from losing a second member of the "Young Money Crew" last week. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders had signed a restricted free-agent offer sheet with the New England Patriots before the Steelers decided to match the offer Sunday.
The Steelers already had lost receiver Mike Wallace to the Miami Dolphins, so it makes sense that receiver Antonio Brown, the third member of the self-anointed crew, is thrilled to have Sanders back.
"Definitely happy to have him back," Brown said Tuesday on KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. "Great, experienced receiver, a teammate of mine since I have been a rookie, and I'm glad he is returning back for another season.
"I thought for sure there was a possibility that he may be gone. Great decision by the team bringing him back and keeping an experienced guy around."
Sanders set career-highs in receptions (44) and yards (626) last season. Those numbers should go up without Wallace on the roster.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger really wanted the Steelers to bring Sanders back. He was running out of weapons -- running back Rashard Mendenhall already had signed with the Arizona Cardinals. The offense really couldn't afford to lose Sanders.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.