Pro Football Hall of Famer and current Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders watched two of his sons make the jump to the NFL in 2025. Shilo Sanders signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent, while Shedeur was selected 144th overall by the Cleveland Browns.
Fast forward to Week 13, and Shedeur has climbed the depth chart to become Cleveland’s starting quarterback. Meanwhile, Shilo has vanished from the spotlight and hasn’t appeared in an NFL game this season.
What happened to him? Let’s break it down.
What is Shilo Sanders Doing Now?
Shilo is two years older than Shedeur and attempted to follow his father by playing defensive back. He began his career at South Carolina, then transferred to Jackson State, and eventually followed his family to Colorado, taking advantage of two extra years of eligibility.
Although he put up promising numbers during his time in Boulder, Shilo wasn’t viewed as a high-end draft prospect and went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. But the Buccaneers signed him to a three-year, $2.965 million UDFA contract shortly after.
Shilo flashed some ability during training camp, but he was buried on the depth chart and needed a strong preseason to earn a roster spot. Instead, the preseason went about as poorly as it could have.
His play was underwhelming, and during a game against the Buffalo Bills, Shilo threw a punch at tight end Zach Davidson and was ejected. He was cut by the Buccaneers days later, and no team has picked him up since. At the time, Shilo said he wasn’t giving up on his NFL dream just yet.
“I’ve had the best time up here in Tampa, but everything happens for a reason, and it is what it is,” he said. “I’ve been talking with my agent, and we’re waiting on the next opportunity. If that’s in the NFL, that’s cool, but God has blessed me with a lot of talents to do other things than play football.”
“I feel like in every athlete’s life, it comes a point where the game ends for you. And I’m not saying that’s what it is now. I’m just saying mentally I’m good,” Shilo added.
Shilo does indeed have other avenues, having modeled clothing in Paris in 2024 and played the role of a young Deion Sanders in the Starz drama BMF. Those pursuits have only grown louder since his release.
“I got a spot in Tampa till December, I think. And then I need to figure out where Imma live at. I’ve been thinking about L.A., you know, for the acting stuff and for the music stuff,” Shilo said in a recent YouTube video. “You know, there’s a lot of people that do my music videos that’s coming out…”
Shilo recently joked to Shedeur on Thanksgiving that he should “pull some strings” to get him onto the Browns, but an NFL return looks unlikely.
For now, the 25-year-old appears to be exploring life beyond football, and his own words suggest a future built more on stages and screens than stadiums.