It’s been a bad year for the Falcons. The best thing that happened to the 1-6 franchise arrived earlier today, when Atlanta finagled a second-round pick for receiver Mohamed Sanu.
With Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley the top two options in the passing game both now and in the future, Sanu became expendable. To unload him for a second-round pick (even a very low one, which it surely will be) is a coup for the organization.
It’s unclear whether other teams were chasing Sanu. He signed with the Falcons when Kyle Shanahan served as offensive coordinator, and it’s long been believed that the third-year 49ers coach would like to get Sanu to San Francisco. Regardless, the Falcons got a second-round pick, dumped the balanace of Sanu’s $6 million salary, and avoided his $6.5 million pay for 2020, the last year of his deal.
Sanu’s highest output from a yardage standpoint came in 2018, with 838. He was on pace for 715 in 2019. In his last game with the Falcons, Sanu caught one pass for three yards.
With one week to go until the trade window closes, Sanu may be far from the last player to get a one-way ticket out of Atlanta. Given the Falcons’ current struggles, plenty of others may be hoping that they end up with a contending team, too.
