ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Emmanuel Sanders knew he made the right decision to come to Denver after a monster performance in his preseason debut with the Broncos.
“I remember going in the locker room, and I went straight to the bathroom,” Sanders said. “I remember sitting there crying in a stall, thanking God because I knew that this was the place, that he sent me here. And I knew that I was gonna do something special.”
Sanders had caught five passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Since he was a starter, he only played the first half of the game.
But Sanders could just as easily have become a Kansas City Chief that offseason.
“I knew I wanted to come here (to Denver) because of Peyton (Manning) and everything that they had,” he said Wednesday. “But I didn’t get a call from John Elway.”
When the Broncos didn’t call, Sanders had to move forward.
The 26-year-old wide receiver was coming off a successful four-year run to start his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He visited the Jaguars. Then he visited the Buccaneers. Then he nearly signed a contract with the Chiefs while visiting Kansas City.. The final sticking point was whether to make a 3-year or 4-year deal. Head coach Andy Reid was so confident that a deal was imminent that he left the meeting and headed home. Sanders had told his family he was about to take the deal.
“I was literally sitting in that room like, I’m about to sign,” Sanders said.
Then the call from the Broncos came, while he was still sitting at the table.
Sanders told the Chiefs that he wanted to go back to his hotel and think things over. But that wasn’t the truth.
“I was just trying to get out of there so I can go really celebrate,” Sanders said. “I’m gonna go play with Peyton freakin’ Manning. The Sheriff.”
If that call had come 20 minutes later, Sanders may never have come to Denver.
Sanders, 35, announced his retirement from the NFL on Wednesday. He signed a one-day contract to retire as a Bronco and held his retirement press conference at UCHealth Training Center.
The wide receiver had spent the past few years since leaving Denver with the 49ers, Saints and Bills. He felt he could play, and had talked to a few teams this offseason, but was ready to move on.
“When is there every a right time?” Sanders said. “When is it ever a right time for me to hang it up?”
Sanders said the death of his former teammate Demaryius Thomas was part of his decision-making process. Thomas, 33 at the time, died from a seizure that occurred while he was showering at his home in Georgia. Researchers from Boston University told ABC News that Thomas had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), but did not believe the condition was the cause of the seizure disorder. No definitive decisions have been made about football’s impact on Thomas’ death.
Still, Sanders reflected after the news broke.
“The game of football is tough on the body,” Sanders said. “I lost a close friend. We all know Demaryius Thomas. And for me, it’s about longevity of life, now.”
For Sanders, there was no reason to risk a final run.
“What am I risking? What is it worth?” Sanders said. “I’ve got two kids. I’ve got a beautiful wife. “I have something that’s bigger than football. I want to see my grandkids.”
For five seasons, Sanders and Thomas formed one of the best receiving duos in the league in Denver. In 2014, they became one of three duos ever to combine for 3,000 receiving yards in a single season. Thomas led the way, as he often did.
“I said ‘You’re Batman, but I’m gonna be the best Robin you’ve ever had,'” Sanders said. “Because that’s a team.”
When Sanders came to Denver, his role changed. He’d been wanting out of the slot while he was playing in Pittsburgh and the Broncos offered the opportunity to play on the boundary. For a 5-foot-11, 175-pound receiver, that’s a tall task. Sanders succeeded, earning a pair of Pro Bowl appearances.
“There’s not too many cats that does it like me. There’s not too many cats that’s like me,” he said. “I’m different. Truly, pound-for-pound, I feel like I’m the champ.”
The highlight of Sanders’ career was when he became a Super Bowl champion. He was part of a massive free agent class that also included Aqib Talib, TJ Ward and DeMarcus Ware.
The chemistry off the field is what stands out about the Super Bowl 50 Broncos.
“That 2015 team we were really crazy,” he said. “Like, truly we were crazy. Like, you know how much money we spent on just clothes? I think Sports Illustrated named us the most fashionable team, or something. (Aqib) Talib will come in with an outfit or TJ Ward or Von (Miller) will come in or D.T. would come in with an outfit and we would have like a pot of saying, ‘Okay, you’re the best-dressed this week.’ So I’m like, ‘I gotta top it next week.'”
Sanders had some advice for this year’s Broncos.
“It was a special group and, and in order to do so special, you got to come together and be special,” he said. “Sometimes it just starts with one or two people saying we’re going to be special and starting to change everybody. That’s why we were able to do it.”
