Denver Broncos wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders misses Peyton Manning, but knows his club has to move on from the future Hall of Famer if it's to win back-to-back titles.
"Peyton (Manning) was last year. I texted him yesterday and told him that I miss him being out here, but at the end of the day, this is a new team with the same goal," Sanders said. "We have to get past that Peyton Manning era. Right now, we're trying to find ourselves a quarterback and that's what it's about. These guys are out here competing."
Sanders is currently working on developing a rapport with the Broncos' two new quarterbacks, Mark Sanchez and first-round Paxton Lynch, who are in competition with second-year passer Trevor Siemian for the starting role.
"I think it's going well. We still have three more weeks left. I think we can continue to improve, but so far, so good," Sanders said.
Sanders developed into a star receiver with Manning's help, putting together his first 1,000-yard seasons of his career in 2014 and 2015.
The 29-year-old is entering the last year of his contract and is seeking a new deal.
Proving he can still produce without Manning will likely go a long way to getting the extension he seeks.