Shilo Sanders sure is carving out a unique career trajectory. He followed his dad, Deion Sanders, to Colorado and made a small splash with his skills. Fast forward to the draft, it was he who held down the fort for the Sanders family, taking on the role of providing comic relief. He went undrafted and was staring at a bleak future. Unpicked and uncertain, he leaned into the moment. When he ‘fired’ Coach Prime as his agent, that, even having the Sanders name, was of no help. But that just shows that the father-son duo is always doing what’s best for the situation. Now a proper NFLer, Shilo is still receiving some words of advice from Coach Prime.

Shilo and Deion Sanders’ camaraderie stands out from all his other children. The safety’s collegiate career was overshadowed by his brother, Shedeur. And his college stats failed to impress scouts. Another blow was his injuries, which had him sitting out on some games. But Coach Prime was right there by his son like a rock. When Shilo missed out on his combine invite, he showed up to secure his prospects at pro day. Deion made things interesting by adding a reward of a brand new ride for Shilo if he could run a 4.4 on his 40-yard dash. Even afterwards, as they spent D-Day as a family, Coach Prime was firm on his belief that it was just a matter of time and patience.

And Shilo likes to take the usual dig at him. He joked during their bleak-looking draft, “Dad was our agent, but that hasn’t been working out too good.” Now, the safety is taking another jab at his dad’s routine. He told Coach Prime over the phone, “When you wake me up at 6 or 7 a.m. and just have me come eat burgers, you just want me to just sit there so you can just look at me.” But Deion Sanders was having none of it. “Any man that sleeps after 7 is not a man,” he shot back. Though Coach Prime said this sternly, it had Shilo Sanders doubling over in some laughs. He fired back, too, “Alright, what are you then?”

“[You] got nowhere to go, and no responsibilities […] Women, if your man sleeps past 7 am, leave him,” Coach Prime said, flat out.

While Shilo was still all smiles after his dad shared the sage-like advice, the safety will need all the help he can to cement himself as a promising player for the Bucs. Because signed as a UDFA, it makes his job far less secure than those of his drafted contemporaries. In fact, the longevity and the safety of his career depend on how well he plays. In short, Shilo has to earn his keep at Tampa to keep his NFL hopes alive. Even as he charts his trajectory, Deion Sanders is still making sure the ground beneath Shilo’s feet doesn’t fall apart.

Shilo understood quickly that the ‘Deion Sanders’ tag couldn’t do anything for him, and he had to sign with Drew Rosenhaus. However, the safety knows that Coach Prime will always be the man to run to when he wants some respite.

Shilo Sanders went back to Coach Prime after losing hope

Coach Prime has stepped in as the agent of his sons’ draft prospects, which is a no-brainer, right? Who better than Deion Sanders to do the bidding for his two sons? What could go wrong? Except everything did. The community hit back first with arguments about nepotism, and then Sheduer and Shilo were both being passed further and further down in the draft. The younger Sanders still got his shot with the Browns on Day 3. But Shilo was staring at an uncertain career. Naturally, Shilo looked for better representation after ‘firing’ his dad from the position. Because, like Shilo said, their association clearly wasn’t “working out too good.”

And yet, Shilo wanted his dad’s help for a solution to this massive problem. “I was like, ‘Alright y’all, I got to go talk to [my father], I got to go get on a team real quick, I’ll be right back.’ So I left.” As soon as I walked down the stairs, my agent called and said, ‘Bucs offering you a contract.’ And I think I did the Dougie [dance] for about 15 minutes,” he said, sharing his thoughts after he went undrafted. Turns out he just needed to hold on a little longer for his momentous call to reach him.

Drew Rosenhaus, the ultimate NFL ‘Shark’, has closed so many deals in his career that the total would easily be over 10 billion. He put his genius to use and got to work with the Bucs for a contract. And finally, Shilo was drafted as a free agent to Tampa. And the safety knows how blessed he is to finally land in the pro league. “But I’m just so grateful for the opportunity for them, give me this chance when nobody else would at that time,” Shilo told ESPN.

When your dad is Deion Sanders, and you’ve suffered so badly at the draft, the pressure to prove your worth gets overwhelming. That’s exactly the case for Shilo Sanders. But so far, he’s made early impressions from his practice sessions in Tampa. Shilo knows the Sanders legacy is never too far behind, and Coach Prime will always be up for a tough word of advice or two for him.