Shilo Sanders was initially considered a fringe day 3 prospect at best going into the draft. But when not a single NFL team took a gamble on the 25-year-old safety with limited potential, Tampa Bay decided to rescue him by signing him to a standard undrafted rookie deal. “Thank You God for everything ! & Thank You [Buccaneers Instagram handle] for believing in me,” he had written on Instagram. Of course, the team won’t face much of a financial risk with this move, but it is Shilo who will face a tough journey to make it to their roster.

Considering the team doesn’t have the best safety depth, Shilo could get in on the 53-man roster if he plays well in camp. But if that doesn’t work out, he could contribute to the special teams. While these are possibilities he can think about today, not getting his name called during the draft was an experience he would certainly love to forget. What made his plight worse before the draft was his injury. A sixth-year safety at Colorado, Shilo entered the 2024 season as a returning starter but missed time early with an arm injury. He returned to appear in 10 games, finishing with 67 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, a defensive touchdown, and no interceptions. But on film, Sanders looked like a functional box safety.

He was disciplined against the run, quick to diagnose underneath routes, and willing to deliver contact. Still, his projection at the next level was murky, and his fears came true. So, what did he do when he was left undrafted? The only person he could think about talking to was his dad, Deion Sanders. In a YouTube Short by Fair Catch, Shilo was heard saying:

“So after the draft, I was sitting there counting all the draft picks like from the 7th round, seeing if I would get a call. You don’t really know if you’re going to get the call or not. They just call randomly and be like, ‘Oh, we’re going to pick you next.’ So I didn’t get the call. So now my brain goes into like, Well, d–g. Let me go. Let me go to my dad.” While Coach Prime may have been the saving grace for his son during the difficult time, the latter was also forced to do something unexpected in the pursuit of a better future.

For the past week, one big piece of news coming from the Sanders household—besides the brothers’ NFL destinations—has found the community captivated: Shilo had fired his dad! But how true is it? Well, hear it from the horse’s mouth itself. “Everybody was laughing [because] I said I had to get a new agent, that I fired my dad. I didn’t fire him, bro,” he declared, setting the record straight about his livestream before Shedeur was even drafted by the Cleveland Browns, where he said: “Dad was our agent, but that hasn’t been working out too good. So today I had to sign with an agent.” I was a simple joke. But still, critics argue that Deion Sanders’ association was a factor behind their draft stock taking hits.

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio added more fuel to the fire two days ago by saying, “Deion’s decision to serve as agent for both sons arguably did them a disservice.” Though it was apparent that Shilo was joking, he indeed signed with agent Drew Rosenhaus to bolster his rep. Regardless, Shilo further opened up: “So, officially, I went undrafted. I think the Patriots had the last pick. My phone didn’t ring. I’m like d–g bro. Let me go get on to the team. Let me talk to Coach Prime. Let me go. As soon as I walked out the room, the agent called me. He was like, ‘Hey, the Buccaneers, they got a contract for you bro’.”

Among the Sanders, a Rosenhaus emerged as the hero!

After the 25-year-old signed with Rosenhaus, a powerhouse agent known for his aggressive negotiations and deep NFL connections, which proved pivotal, things seemed to work out for the player. Despite no initial interest from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his outreach changed the course of Shilo’s career. Buccaneers GM Jason Licht admitted that, after the draft, the agent called them up.

“After the draft, his agent reached out if we would be interested – Todd [Bowles] & I looked at each other, nodded & said ‘Yeah, let’s do it’.”

“Todd said Coach Prime called him and thanked him for bringing Shilo in and giving him a fair shot,” Licht added further. Shilo, too, is thankful for the opportunity, but this is just the start. Yet, a Buccaneers great had some advice for Shedeur Sanders that can be vital for Shilo as well.

Days ago, Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson stated how he was supposed to be drafted much higher back in the day than where he ended up. And so he hoped Shedeur would use it as fuel after his downward spiral in the 2025 NFL Draft. “He should have a chip on his shoulder, and he should write down the name of every quarterback who went ahead of him and put that list on the back of his bedroom door,” Jackson opined in a chat with RotoGrinders. He wants to see the rookie QB outwork all the other guys, and perhaps, Shilo can follow this too.