Being Deion Sanders’ son doesn’t guarantee success in the NFL. Shilo Sanders found that out the hard way when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers released him after the preseason finale.
The 25-year-old safety went undrafted out of Colorado, even after playing for his legendary father. Six weeks later, he remains unsigned, and a new video shows him opening up about how difficult life has become since the league moved on from “Prime Time’s” son.
Shilo Sanders Says He’s Dead Broke After Tampa Bay Buccaneers Show Him the Door
Sanders signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in April 2025. He showed flashes during training camp and preseason action. The numbers looked decent on paper.
He logged 83 defensive snaps and 46 coverage snaps across multiple games. Four tackles, one quarterback pressure, and he allowed just one reception for eight yards in coverage.
None of it mattered. Tampa Bay waived him one day after he got ejected from the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills for throwing a punch.
The team filled every single practice squad spot without him. The message came through loud and clear. Sanders had no future with the franchise.
A fan recently approached him asking for a donation to his youth program. Sanders didn’t sugarcoat his situation. He told the fan he just got cut from the NFL and doesn’t have any money.
He directed the fan to ask his brother Shedeur Sanders, the Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback, for help instead. Sanders added that his NIL money from college is gone.
The Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League own his negotiating rights. That could be his next stop if NFL teams keep passing. He worked out with the San Francisco 49ers last month but nothing came from it.
NFL Fans Rip Apart Shilo Sanders Over Money Comments and Acting Dreams
The admission about being broke got fans talking in all the wrong ways. One fan wrote, “Give this boy a job…. The dude really did pull his weight in training camp and the pre season games.”
Another added, “I dont think their egos will allow them to get a 9 to 5 like the rest of the world. Reality will set in real soon.”
The criticism turned harsh quickly.
A third fan noted, “Really?? ‘I don’t got no money’. This idiot attended college and didn’t even learn proper English.”
A fourth fan mocked his backup plans, writing, “An acting career? Well he has been acting like a footballer for years.”
Sanders posted a YouTube video after getting cut explaining his mindset. He called the NFL the “not for long” league and said nothing is ever certain even if you make a team.
He mentioned having other interests outside football including music, acting, and modeling. His parents made sure he stayed well-versed in multiple areas.
Sanders’s tongue-in-cheek comment about being broke likely exaggerated his actual financial situation. His father’s massive contract means he is probably not living hand to mouth.
But the undrafted safety’s struggle to find another NFL opportunity remains very real, as he is now six weeks removed from his last paycheck.
