PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers matched the New England Patriots’ one-year contract offer to restricted free agent wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, the team announced today.
Sanders, originally drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft (82nd overall), started eight of 40 regular-season games played for the Steelers from 2010-12. Last season, Sanders set numerous career highs by starting seven of 16 games played and registering 44 receptions for 626 yards and one touchdown.
For his career, Sanders has recorded 94 receptions for 1,290 yards and five touchdowns. He also completed one pass for 15 yards and averaged 10.9 yards on 16 punt returns and 24.1 yards on 31 kick returns. Sanders played in four postseason games for Pittsburgh, totaling 172 yards on 13 receptions.
