The Pittsburgh Steelers have matched the New England Patriots' one-year, $2.5 million offer sheet to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, the team announced Sunday. "Glad the business side is out of the way," Sanders wrote on Twitter. "Now its back to playing football and bringing number 7 back to Pittsburgh. Love!!! #Steelernation."
Pittsburgh had until the 11:59 p.m. deadline to match New England's offer to the wide receiver. If the Steelers didn't match, they would have received a third-round pick from the Patriots. By retaining Sanders, the team fulfilled the wishes of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who was vocal in lobbying the team to keep one of his main targets.
Sanders is still eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013 season. The 26-year old is a quick, athletic receiver who caught a career-high 44 passes in 2012, which doubled his production from the previous season.
He received an original-round tender from Pittsburgh due to the team's salary-cap restraints this offseason. Sanders is expected to replace Mike Wallace, who signed with Miami at the beginning of free agency, in the starting lineup opposite Antonio Brown.
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