What does the Doug Baldwin deal mean for Emmanuel Sanders?

The Denver Broncos will report to training camp July 28, and there is a very good chance Emmanuel Sanders will be the player all others attempt to keep up with. He is a tireless worker and perfectionist. That drive has turned him into one of the National Football League’s best wide receivers as he enters the last season of his contract.

Although he is not an unrestricted free agent until next year’s offseason begins, the Broncos have reportedly been in talks to give him a new deal. Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks’ Doug Baldwin received a new contract before hitting the free agency market, both his production and previous contract come strikingly close to Sanders’. The generous offer now places Sanders is prime position to get paid, this year or next.

Per ProFootballTalk.com Baldwin signed a four-year, $46 million offer Tuesday, averaging out to $11.5 per year with $12 million guaranteed at signing. Like Sanders, he was playing under a three-year contract and had one year left on it at $4.8 million. Last season, Baldwin topped all single-season career records. He caught 78 passes for 1, 069 yards and 14 touchdowns in the regular season. In his previous five seasons (all with Seattle) he only reached 66 passes (2014), 855 yards (2014) and five touchdowns (2012) in a single season. His explosive 2015 helped him lock up a deal early and through 2020.

Sanders has been nothing but spectacular since he signed via free agency in 2014. In his two regular seasons with Denver, he has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving, caught more passes than any single season he had in his four seasons in Pittsburgh and has become a target in the red zone, hauling in 15 touchdowns the past two regular seasons combined. He had single-season career highs in catches (101), receiving yards (1,404) and touchdowns (9) in 2014. He is currently playing on his three-year, $15 million contract which accounts for a cap hit of $6.6 million this season, according to Spotrac.com.

Not only has Sanders outplayed his contract, but he has also possibly out-performed Demaryius Thomas, owner of a five-year, $70 million contract. Statistically speaking, Thomas has been at a blistering pace, reaching and surpassing 1,000 yards receiving the last four seasons but his reliability at some of the biggest moments has been rightfully questioned. Sanders has been the opposite. At at the most critical moments, the far-smaller receiver comes up big. His contract, whether done now or next year in free agency will be equally impactful.

The Broncos certainly have cap space issues and other roster issues (see Super Bowl MVP Von Miller) but in years past they have penned contracts early in order to keep vital pieces of the roster in place. For example, Chris Harris Jr. and Derek Wolfe were signed for seemingly “team-friendly” deals during the season, before hitting the open market. While Sanders has said publicly he wants to stay in Denver for the remainder of his career, he has also admitted that he is looking for fair value, on par with other players around the league.

That fair value leads directly back to Baldwin. While Baldwin surpassed Sanders in touchdowns in 2015, his career best year was not better than Sanders in receiving yards or catches while the Bronco was a part of a struggling offense. Sanders also did so as the “No. 2” receiver, while Baldwin is the clear favorite of quarterback Russell Wilson in Seattle. The fact the Broncos are trying to get ahead of the other 31 teams in the NFL spells a pay day, either way, for Sanders. He can honestly ask for and expect a $12 million a season offer from someone. The Broncos are likely wary of going so high, but that may be the basement asking price.

Sanders has revealed himself to be not only a great wide receiver but also a leader and constant worker. The Broncos are very smart to try and sign him in 2016, but they may be fooling themselves if they think Sanders doesn’t know what the rest of the NFL does, he is elite. The Broncos have a defense and Sanders is a huge key to reviving their offense, but it will certainly cost them. If he walks in 2017, it may cost them a great deal more than money.