San Francisco 49ers not picking Shilo Sanders despite having him listed as an option wasn’t on the Sanders’ 2025 bingo card. His exit was expected to create a gap in the team, but they are doing just fine without him. The 25-year-old was also signed as a free agent with the Buccaneers, but that dream only lived so long after he was removed in August due to an on-field incident during their game against the Bills. However, Shilo doesn’t need to worry so long as there are three NFL franchises in need of a Safety.

A need for depth has put the Bears, Bills, and the Steelers in the spotlight as each tries to strengthen its safety core. The Bears have two starters, Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, and behind them, there is barely any backup. The Bills picked up safety Jordan Hankock of Ohio State in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. But they let Jordan Poyer be the veteran for the practice squad while hoping Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop get better. The Pittsburgh Steelers also lost Minkah Fitzpatrick, but compensated by signing three veterans. They welcomed Juan Thornhill, DeShon Elliott, and Jordan Dangerfield to add experience to the position.

Shilo’s issues with the Bucs began after he punched Bills TE Zach Davidson.  The scuffle went down in the second half of the game when Shilo threw a punch at Zach, after which the refs sent him back to the locker room. His actions left everyone, including the HC Todd Bowles, disappointed as he noted, “You can’t throw punches in this league… That’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. Gotta grow from that,” right after the game. This led to him getting ejected from the final roster, 48 hours before the NFL’s roster cut deadline, and he was also fined $4,669.

Apart from these franchises, Sanders also has a few other choices outside of the big league. But trying to make an NFL roster would be his first option. His talent earned him a signing as an undrafted free agent, and even though the Buccaneers had no place for him, an injury in the league could change the situation very quickly.

Deion Sanders fires back on social media after the 49ers reject Shilo

Before Shilo was rejected by the 49ers for another option, his father, Deion Sanders, followed his signature social media antics and posted, “Are u really trying? Are u giving it your all? Are u exhausting yourself trying to make it happen? Answer these questions truthfully because there’s a reason why u ain’t where u wanna be or where u should be. Evict something or somebody out of your life. That’s it.” Followed by, “I Believe! #CoachPrime” 

And soon after the rejection, Deion’s Instagram looked something like this, “The strongest person is strong enough to walk away when it’s popular & convenient to stay! #CoachPrime” The caption was added under a picture of matchsticks, with the burnt ones on the left separated from the unburnt ones on the right side by a single matchstick. The text on the picture read, “The Power of Walking Away.” 

Coach Prime also hinted at some other alternatives for Shilo outside of football. If his son is left with no reliable options in the NFL, Shilo can always explore some other areas of interest. “He was in California last week meeting with a bunch of agents because he has the opportunity to do movies and sitcoms and stuff like that and then YouTube content.” Shilo also hinted in a similar direction, adding, “I’ve always done that my whole life, playing football, with music, acting, modeling… I’ve been prepared for anything that happen, cause you never know what could happen.”

It’s only a matter of time until we find out what Shilo ends up doing in the future. What we do know is that he will either end up coming back on the gridiron or a Hollywood screen.