The scenario is not the same. The elements are disparate. But the feeling—the disappointing sting—that Baltimore Ravens fans are waking up to the morning after the team's blockbuster trade for Maxx Crosby fell apart is familiar. Chiefs Kingdom has felt it, too.
If you missed the news, just days after the Ravens and Las Vegas Raiders agreed on a shocking deal of two first-round picks for Crosby, the trade fell through. The Ravens appeared to back out of it due to a failed physical on Crosby's part—which is not all that surprising given his knee problems—and since nothing was official until the new league year begins on Wednesday, the Raiders are left with no choice but to take it back.
Just like that, Ravens fans who were picturing Crosby as the franchise's next great pass rusher, a new defensive pillar to help elevate the unit back to "fearsome" status under new head coach Jesse Minter, were confused and frustrated. Or at least that's true for those who were excited by the move. It's these emotions to which Chiefs fans can relate, or at least those who are old enough to remember the saga of Emmanuel Sanders.
The circumstances aren't the same, but the sting definitely is for Chiefs fans.
Just over a decade ago at this same time of year, in the free agent frenzy of 2014, Andy Reid's offense was excited to add some more help in the passing game alongside Dwayne Bowe. Tight end Travis Kelce had missed his entire rookie year to injury, so he was not yet a dominant intermediate target for Alex Smith. The Chiefs were looking for more playmakers, and Sanders, who was an underutilized asset in Pittsburgh, fit the bill.
Then came the shocking moment. While Sanders was literally in the building at Arrowhead to sign his contract after agreeing to terms, his agent revealed his hand that he'd been using the Chiefs as leverage all along.
First, Sanders' agent, Steve Weinberg, shopped the terms of Kansas City's deal to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to see if they could beat it—again, after having told K.C. that they had an agreement. From there, the Denver Broncos showed interest knowing that Weinberg was being shady and made a call to Sanders.
John Elway offered Sanders what he wanted—a three-year deal instead of the four years that K.C. had demanded—and the allure of catching passes from Peyton Manning proved to be enough. Sanders himself explained the scenario in an interview back in 2022.
“I was just trying to get out of there so I could go really celebrate because I’m about to play with Peyton Freaking Manning, The Sheriff. I was trying to leave, and (Kansas City coach) Andy Reid’s car came flying up to me. He goes, ‘What is going on!?’”
While Sanders became a Pro Bowl performer for the Broncos, the Chiefs would get the last laugh—on more than one occasion. Sanders would find himself looking up to the Chiefs every single year thereafter, starting in 2015, as Reid's divisional dominance began. Sanders also played for the San Francisco 49ers when Patrick Mahomes would rally the Chiefs to win their first Super Bowl over them in 2019. He was also a member of the Buffalo Bills when "13 seconds" became a part of Chiefs lore.
Sanders has a Super Bowl ring as well from his first season catching passes from Manning in Denver. He likely wouldn't change a thing. As for the Chiefs, things turned out all right there as well. But the sting of thinking a player is going to improve the roster only to see the rug pulled out is tough to stomach. The Ravens are feeling it right now while hoping their fortunes turn around as quickly as they did for K.C. after being spurned by Sanders.