Patriots Asked Mohamed Sanu to Take Pay Cut Before the 49ers Signed Him

The 49ers wide receiver is in the best shape of his life

When the New England Patriots cut Mohamed Sanu Sr. in September last season, many were left scratching their heads. After all, New England had just recently paid a steep price -- a second-round pick -- for the veteran wide receiver.

Sanu started six games for the Patriots and caught 27 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown - not far off the numbers he had in his six starts with the Falcons earlier in the season.

In an episode of the DNP-CD Sports Podcast released Monday, Sanu revealed for the first time publicly what led up to his exit in New England.

Mohamed Sanu Sr. drops an exclusive on our show. When the @Patriots cut him a lot of people were scratching their heads since they just just traded a 2nd-round pick for him.

Here, for the first time, Sanu explains what led to his exit in New England#NFL #NFLTwitter #NFLRumors pic.twitter.com/dz5dUfwMWb

— DNP-CD Sports (@DNPCDsports) July 19, 2021

"It was business," Sanu said. "I wasn't going to take a pay cut. I earn what I earn, I'm not going to take a pay cut just because of whatever y'all have going on. Y'all are going to release me, you're going to release me, which is cool. I'll always bet on myself. I'm a hard working guy and I know what I can do, so I'm going to go ahead and show people who I am."

When the show's host responded by saying he wasn't aware that Sanu was asked by New England to take a pay cut, he responded, "Nobody knows that, that's just how it is."

Fantasy Football owners take note, Sanu may be primed for a big season in San Francisco. He said earlier in the interview he's in the best shape of his life, but was careful to differentiate his statement from the typical cliche' statements we hear from athletes this time of year.

"This is the best I've felt physically - ever in my entire life. I'm not just saying that because that's what everybody says, because it's true," Sanu said. "I've put in a lot of diligent work to make sure my body and mind, everything is focused he said."

Sanu went on to show off a fancy device called the HOCATT - which resembles a spacecraft, he had installed in his home to help him stay healthy. The entire interview covers a wide variety of topics including Julio Jones, burner accounts on Twitter, Trey Lance and more. To hear the interview in its entirety, click here or check it out on iTunes, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.