Eric Decker spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos. For the last two, he was on the receiving end of passes from future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning.
Back in March, Decker left the comfortable surroundings of Denver and signed a $36 million contract as a free agent with the New York Jets, who have had Geno Smith, Michael Vick, and Matt Simms under center this season. That’s quite a drop off.
To fill the void left in the receiving corps, the Broncos brought in Emmanuel Sanders, who has stepped in and put up big numbers. Sanders is fourth in the NFL in receptions (67), fifth in receiving yards (954), and has seven touchdowns.
Now on the outside looking in, Decker has an appreciation for what Denver is doing on offense. He even admits it’s tough at times to see the success Sanders has had essentially as his replacement.
“Emmanuel Sanders is playing well in my spot, so to speak,” Decker said via the New York Daily News. “Sometimes, you know, it’s tough to see all the success. But that’s football. It’s going to go in swings. Who says we can’t be a great football team? We got to obviously do some right things to get there, but I’m happy for Peyton and Demaryius (Thomas). I respect them so much. They’re all good friends, so I like to see them do well, but sometimes it’s hard.”
When you go from one of the favorites to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl to the New York Jets it’s understandable for Eric Decker to feel the way he does. That said, he won’t get much sympathy since it was his choice to take the money and bolt to the east coast knowing the quarterback situation wasn’t the greatest.
