He played college football for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft.

Sanu has also been a member of the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers, and the Miami Dolphins.

Originally from Sayreville, New Jersey, Sanu was born to a Muslim family and also lived in his parents' native Sierra Leone as a child.

[1] Sanu returned to the United States and lived in Dayton, New Jersey, where he eventually starred at South Brunswick High School as a triple option quarterback before enrolling at Rutgers University in 2009.

[3] He was ruled ineligible to play during his senior year, due to exceeding NJSIAA's age restriction; he graduated from high school six months early and enrolled at Rutgers University in January 2009.

[7] Sanu was the first-ever true freshman to start at wide receiver for Rutgers under coach Greg Schiano, and won Most Valuable Player honors at the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl.

[13] The Cincinnati Bengals selected Sanu in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2012 NFL draft, the 12th wide receiver taken that year.

[15][16] On September 23, 2012, against the Washington Redskins, Sanu came in as the wildcat quarterback out of a shotgun formation for the Bengals on the first play from scrimmage of the game and threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to A. J.

[23] In the Wild Card Round against the San Diego Chargers, his playoff debut, Sanu had a 13-yard reception in a 27–10 loss.

[24] In the 2014 season, Sanu played a much bigger role in the Bengals offense due to injuries to receivers A. J.

[25] During Week 2, he recorded a career-long 76-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Andy Dalton in the 24–10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

[36] In his Falcons debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sanu had five receptions for 80 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion in the 31–24 loss.

[40] In the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers he finished with five receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown in the final NFL Game in the Georgia Dome.

[45] During Week 12, Sanu threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Julio Jones in a 34–20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

[49] In the Divisional Round, he had three receptions for 50 yards in a 15–10 loss to the eventual Super Bowl LII champion Philadelphia Eagles.

[50] After a relatively slow start to the 2018 season, Sanu had six receptions for 111 yards in a narrow Week 4 37–36 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

[56] On October 22, 2019, Sanu was traded to the New England Patriots in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL draft.