Big Al: ‘Broncos hold all the cards when it comes to Emmanuel Sanders’

If the Denver Broncos come knocking with a request to restructure his contract, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders isn’t answering.

But the wide receiver’s future in Denver rests squarely within the control of the Broncos organization, “The Drive” co-host Alfred “Big Al” Williams said on Tuesday.

“In this situation, in this year with the Denver Broncos, the Broncos hold all the cards when it comes to Emmanuel Sanders because the last cut down is in August,” Williams said.

Sanders balked at the idea of considering a contract restructure via Twitter on Tuesday, saying, “It ain’t happening. No way Jose.”

The post was in response to a 104.3 The Fan tweet linking to an article with the headline, “Should the Broncos approach Emmanuel Sanders about a contract restructure?”

Orlando Franklin, former Broncos offensive lineman and 104.3 The Fan host, is quoted in the article saying, “If I’m the Broncos, I’m going to Emmanuel and I’m telling him, ‘Hey, listen, you’re 31 years old. You just had an Achilles injury. We want to restructure you. We want to bring you back but for less money.’”

On Tuesday, Williams said if he were the Broncos and Sanders did not want to take a pay cut, he would keep the wide receiver on the roster throughout the offseason.

“… And if he looks outstanding, if he looks like the Emmanuel Sanders that was present at the beginning of this year, then you keep him,” Williams said. “But if he’s slow, if he has a knot on that Achilles that won’t go away, maybe the rehab didn’t happen as scheduled, then boom.”

Williams said the team controls the situation because they could carry Sanders on the roster through the offseason, into the preseason, and as far as the final training camp cuts, leaving him potentially in the “massive dump of cut players in the NFL in the last cut of the preseason.”

“I’ve seen some nastiness in the NFL, and if I were him I would get in there and play the game,” Williams said. “Just don’t worry about it. Play the game. If they want to release you, if they want to trade you, fine. You’ll get back on your feet.

“But not at that number,” Williams said

Earlier on Tuesday, “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mike Evans said during The Fan War Room that he loved the tweet but questioned what exactly Sanders expects to make on the open market.

“Let’s be honest. In his early 30s, a receiver coming off a torn Achilles, what does he think he can get paid next year by anybody?” Evans said.

Sanders, who turns 32 next month, saw his 2018 season end prematurely when suffered a torn left Achilles during practice ahead of a Week 14 tilt with the San Francisco 49ers.

The former Pro Bowl wideout’s $10.25 million base salary, according to Spotrac.com, is the 12th-highest among NFL receivers. By comparison, Super Bowl LIII MVP Julian Edelman is currently under a two-year, $11 million deal and will earn a $2 million base salary in 2019, good enough for 48th among the league’s pass catchers.

Denver has until March 12 to exercise the 2019 portion of Sanders’ contract, which would guarantee $1.5 million of his salary. The club, should they cut Sanders, would incur a dead cap hit of $2.687 million.

Heading into his 10th season, Sanders has statistically enjoyed some of his highest production as a member of the Broncos, twice being selected as Pro Bowler (2014 and 2016).

And after a down year statistically in 2017, Sanders had been on the rebound in 2018 until the Achilles injury halted his season in early December.

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.