Emmanuel Sanders has no time for your speculation that he might restructure his contract.
The veteran receiver tweeted in response to a story by a local Denver radio station contemplating whether the Broncos should approach Sanders about adjusting his contract. Sanders replied: "It ain't happening... no way Jose..."
It's presumable that Sanders' reply means he's not amenable to taking a pay cut -- if the Broncos even approach him about one.
With one year left on his three-year, $33 million contract extension, Sanders is set to count $12.937 million against the Broncos' salary cap.
The Broncos aren't exactly in dire straits, owning $37.52 million in space, per Over The Cap, 13th most in NFL, before the Joe Flacco trade goes through, but could determine saving $10.25 million by cutting Sanders is a prudent move for a player who might miss the start of the season after a December Achilles tear. Such a move would also leave a hole in the receiving corps.
The Broncos aren't likely in a hurry to make any move on Sanders, at least until he's deeper into the healing process.
It's arguable that Sanders' injury completely derailed the Broncos' passing offense down the stretch last season, as Denver lost four straight games to close the season with the receiver out. Unless Sanders' injury lingers and it doesn't appear he'll be healthy for most of the 2019 season, cutting the veteran outright would hurt the on-field dynamic at this early stage of the offseason. Importing a veteran like Flacco, then taking away his best veteran option would amount to football cognitive dissonance.
Perhaps Sanders has taken a gander at the current free agent market at receiver and determined if he can prove he's healthy he'd be the top option. If Sanders were on the open market, he'd immediately be the best receiver on the list, despite turning 32 years old next month. Would you rather have a proven playmaker that can help carry an offense like Sanders or a wild card like Tyrell Williams? In this dry receiver market, Sanders would be a commodity, and ample teams couple the need for receiver help with plenty of cap space. His injury prognosis would be the only issue limiting those prospects.
The Broncos own some intriguing young talent at receiver, starting with Courtland Sutton. Without a healthy Sanders, however, the group would lack a proven chain-mover to aid Flacco in 2019.
