VIDEO: Emmanuel Sanders Reveals Why He Chose Saints Over Packers in Free Agency
By Michael Luciano
Emmanuel Sanders broke the hearts of Green Bay Packers fans when one of the best No. 2 wide receivers on the market decided to sign a two-year deal with Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints over Aaron Rodgers' squad. In an interview with Rich Eisen, Sanders claimed that he never really considered the Packers offer in free agency because of the cold Wisconsin winter he would have to play in, saying that he "wasn't trying to do that."
Emmanuel Sanders tells @richeisen (I don't think Sanders was joking) that weather and location played a role in choosing Saints over Packers in free agency:
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 30, 2020
"It's just Green Bay. That cold weather, Rich, I wasn't trying to do it."https://t.co/nlmnmGVRno
It really didn't sound like a joke.
Sanders has had his share of playing in cold weather over the years, as he spent the first part of his career in Pittsburgh before the Steelers moved off of him and he signed with the Denver Broncos. Apparently playing in perpetually warm San Francisco made Sanders realize how much he values warm weather.
Sanders might not receive the warmest welcome if he ever plays in Green Bay, but if you could play with your choice of Hall of Fame quarterbacks, but one of them plays in a dome in New Orleans, wouldn't you make the same decision?
Emmanuel Sanders had appealing NFC options. Sanders spoke with the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers, but preferred to wind up with the New Orleans Saints, where he land d a two-year, $16 million deal worth up to $19 million.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2020
Green Bay would have been a good scheme fit for Sanders, but those frosty December winters were just too much for him to stomach.