INDIANAPOLIS -- A year ago the Patriots signed Pittsburgh restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders to an offer sheet, only to see the Steelers match the one-year deal.
In his Combine press conference on Thursday, Pittsburgh GM Kevin Colbert talked about the decision to retain Sanders last spring and the kind of season the pass-catcher had.
"I think any decision you look back on, you start with where we were … we finished 8-8. In my opinion none of the decisions were good because we weren't in the playoffs," Colbert said. "Emmanuel came back and had a nice year for us and we were happy to have him. Where he goes in free agency and what his market is we don't know at this point. But he certainly performed for us last year and we'll see where he is in the future."
Sanders had 67 catches for 740 yards (11.0 avg.) with six touchdowns last fall in Pittsburgh as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Antonio Brown.
Given New England's interest a year ago, Sanders will be a name to watch for the Patriots when free agency opens on March 11. And the way Colbert spoke today, there's certainly no guarantee that the receiver will be returning to Pittsburgh.
