Emmanuel Sanders reminds 49ers, NFL he still has some good years left

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If not for Jimmy Garoppolo's overthrown pass, Emmanuel Sanders would have produced the highlight play of the 2019 NFL season. Unfortunately for quarterback, receiver and the San Francisco 49ers, it was not to be.

Sanders had the 49ers in position to win Super Bowl LIV, and he seems to truly want to help San Francisco get back to the big game next season. While the 2020 NFL Draft absolutely is loaded with wide receiver prospects and there likely will be some familiar names available in free agency, Sanders took to Twitter on Tuesday to let the world know people are making a mistake if they think he's over the hill.

Sanders will turn 33 years old in March. According to Pro Football Reference, there only were five wide receivers age 33 or older that caught a pass last season. Still, there are many reasons to believe he has several good years left in him.

For one, Sanders is as sure-handed as they come. As he noted in his tweet, Sanders had only two drops across 97 total targets last season -- from two different teams and multiple QBs.

Secondly, it's not as if he's showing signs of breaking down. Sanders was the only NFL player to play in 17 regular-season games this past season, a result of him coming to San Francisco in a mid-season trade with the Denver Broncos. He then started each of the 49ers' playoff games, including the Super Bowl.

And, finally, Sanders clearly still has blazing speed. Just ask the two Chiefs defenders who let him get behind them on the most important play of their entire lives. If Garoppolo puts the throw on the money, it's highly unlikely he ever feels the need to defend himself on Twitter.

[RELATED: Five big decisions that could define 49ers' offseason]

Sanders is an unrestricted free agent who made $11 million last season. The 49ers have some big decisions to make and not a whole lot of cap room to work with, but he fits what they want to do on offense, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him return for another season (or more) with San Francisco.

And in the event the 49ers decide to go in another direction, Sanders will have no shortage of suitors after the productive year he just put on tape.

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