Shilo Sanders has been a fascinating story to monitor throughout this NFL offseason. The elder brother of Cleveland Browns quarterback and fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders, he had an even rougher go of it than his brother at the 2025 NFL Draft.
While Shedeur fell from first-round projections to the fifth round, Shilo wasn’t selected at all. Instead, he found his way to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent over the summer.
During the offseason, he was partaking in every activity for the Buccaneers, from training camp and OTAs to minicamps and the preseason, all in an effort to win a spot on the official 53-man roster.
His performance in the preseason gave some credence to the possibility, before Tampa Bay ultimately decided to move in a different direction. Now, his future is up in the air, but what are the potential options at his disposal?
What Does the Future Look Like for Shilo Sanders?
Right after the final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills, the Bucs decided to cut ties with the young safety. For a team that ranked at the league-average mark last year in PFSN’s Defense+ metric and could have used some safety depth, it was a somewhat noteworthy decision.
But it has left Sanders with a tough road ahead. After going unclaimed off waivers, the path to the NFL for him is through unrestricted free agency. There is a possibility that a team brings him onto its practice squad.
Moreover, it isn’t a guarantee that his time with the Buccaneers has officially come to an end. Tampa Bay could opt to bring him back via its own practice squad down the line.
However, if he isn’t picked up at all, a potential move to the CFL, where the Toronto Argonauts have exclusive negotiating rights for the second-generation superstar, awaits.
What Went Wrong for Sanders?
After a brief two-year run at South Carolina, Sanders joined his younger brother Shedeur and father, legendary NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, to take college football by storm at Jackson State.
Soon after, the trio shifted locations and led the renaissance that continues to this day for the Colorado Buffaloes. The elder of the former Defensive Player of the Year’s two children developed a reputation as a solid safety in the secondary.
Deion reacts to his son Shilo Sanders getting cut from the Buccaneers 🏈
“All of the Sanders’ are gonna be straight, with or without football.”
(via @CUBuffsFootball) pic.twitter.com/ga2S7jFhqa
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 26, 2025
However, his tape wasn’t enough to convince a franchise to take a swing on him. Ultimately, he ended up on a Bucs squad that needed help on the defensive end.
Until the week before the final preseason game, it seemed like Sanders had a legitimate shot of making the team.
His performance against the Tennessee Titans led to a stronger belief in his potential elevation to the roster, and even after some struggles against the Steelers in the second exhibition, a productive night in Tampa Bay’s third and final preseason game could have been enough to allow Sanders to latch on to a roster spot.
However, in that game, Sanders got into a scuffle with Zach Davidson of the Buffalo Bills. In a wild display, he even threw a punch Davidson’s way in plain view of the officials.
He was immediately ejected due to an unnecessary roughness penalty. The following day, news of his termination arrived, with head coach Todd Bowles making it clear, “You can’t throw punches in this league — that’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.”
The timing of the incident and Bowles’ remarks make it evident the punch directly affected his standing with the team.
