The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t waste time pulling the plug. Less than 24 hours after rookie safety Shilo Sanders got tossed for throwing hands in a preseason scrap, Tampa cut him loose. It all went down Saturday night in Buffalo. Preseason, second half, tensions running high. Bills tight end Zach Davidson and Shilo got tangled up on a special teams play, helmets knocking like two rams in a nature doc. Davidson gave an extra shove, fingers up in Shilo’s facemask, and then boom! Sanders fired back with a closed fist. Flags everywhere. Refs didn’t hesitate: “You’re outta here.”

By Sunday morning? Waived. Just like that, the 25-year-old son of Deion Sanders went from fighting for a roster spot to fighting for his NFL life. But while Twitter roasted Shilo, big brother Deion Sanders Jr., aka Bucky, jumped in with a reality.

On August 24th, Shilo Sanders took it IG story and dropped some facts or gems about what comes after getting cut: practice squad money is nothing to sneeze at.“Rookies get $13k a week, which translates to $234,000 for 18 weeks, and veterans can make between $17,500 and $22k a week, which works out to between $315,000 to $396,000.” Translation: stop crying, stack that bag.

To put that in perspective, that’s basically the salary of a doctor, lawyer, or engineer who went to school for 6–8 years. Players are earning it just for being “scout team warriors” and grinding on the practice field.

So Bucky’s message was simple: don’t look at a cut as the end of the road. A practice squad check is life-changing money for most people. While the average American household income sits around $66k, even the lowest practice squad salary is more than triple that, just for helping the main roster get ready every week. In other words, there’s no shame in it. It’s still a dream job.

The NFL cut week reality

Cut week in the NFL is brutal, man. Every summer rosters balloon up to around 90 players, but the league only lets you roll into Week 1 with 53 spots. Do the math. That’s almost 1,200-ish players getting that dreaded phone call in one week. It doesn’t matter if you were a draft pick, a vet fighting for another shot, or a camp body trying to make noise, somebody’s dream always ends in August. For younger guys with fewer than four accrued seasons, it’s even trickier because they get placed on waivers, meaning every other team has a shot to claim them before they’re free agents. Vets? They get straight-up released and can sign wherever.

The practice squad has become a lifeline. Each team can stash 16 players, plus one international slot, and it pays way better than most fans realize. They aren’t just tackling dummies. Under league rules, they can be elevated up to three times in a season without being permanently signed to the 53-man roster. Last year, over 250 players across the league got that call-up at least once. Injuries, matchups, or depth issues can flip somebody’s season overnight. We’ve seen guys go from practice squad anonymity to playoff contributors in a matter of weeks. It’s literally the NFL’s version of “stay ready so you don’t gave to get ready.”

That’s why Deion Sanders Jr.’s comments about his brother Shilo ring true. Getting cut by the Buccaneers might sting, but it’s not the end of the road. With practice squad money matching what doctors, lawyers, and engineers make after years of school, it’s still a blessing. And more importantly, it keeps the door cracked open.