ENGLEWOOD, Colo. » Four days after calling his season a failure because it won’t end with a parade, Denver receiver Emmanuel Sanders was selected to play in his first Pro Bowl.

Sanders replaces injured Atlanta wide receiver Julio Jones.

This gives the Broncos an NFL-best 10 Pro Bowlers, including four free agent acquisitions — safety T.J. Ward, defensive end DeMarcus Ware and cornerback Aqib Talib are the others.

That ties an NFL record set by the 1996 Panthers, who had running back Michael Bates, cornerback Eric Davis, linebacker Kevin Greene and tight end Wesley Walls make the Pro Bowl team in their first year with in Carolina.

Sanders caught 101 passes for 1,404 yards with nine touchdowns — all career bests — in his first season in Denver, which he called "wide receiver heaven" upon his arrival last spring.

The Broncos’ 10 Pro Bowl selections tied a franchise record set in 1998, when John Elway led the Broncos to their second consecutive Super Bowl title.

Other Broncos selected to play in next week’s all-star game are: quarterback Peyton Manning, left tackle Ryan Clady, receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas. On defense, cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and Von Miller both made the Pro Bowl after returning from ACL surgery.

Of course, having a talent-laden roster like this made it all the more of a bummer when the Broncos bowed out of the playoffs last week with a 24-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at home. Elway is looking for a new coach after parting ways with John Fox a day later.

Sanders went to the Super Bowl with the Steelers following his rookie season in 2010 when Pittsburgh lost to the Green Bay Packers.