A rookie safety cut in August usually starts a familiar cycle: fans rally with encouragement, timelines fill with “keep grinding” messages, and the narrative frames him as another young talent who just needs the right break. That’s the standard beat online when roster cuts hit. But swap in the Sanders name, and the script flips fast.

Shilo Sanders‘ exit from Tampa didn’t bring condolences, no. It brought callouts. Instead of “he’ll get another shot,” fans dredged up ego-driven clips and doubled down on criticism. And the blowback didn’t stop with him; Shedeur got swept into it, too. Is it justified?

It all started with a tweet asking a rather peculiar question: Are NFL teams conspiring against the Sanders brothers? Focusing the narrative around Shedeur’s unfortunate situation with the Browns and Shilo just getting waived by the Bucs. But fans didn’t respond with a simple “no.” No, they called them out. They believe that it’s not a conspiracy, it’s their quality, and most importantly, their ego, which is holding them back.

Let’s look at Shilo Sanders. Saturday night against the Bills, the rookie safety’s night unraveled fast. He got flagged, then tossed for swinging on TE Zach Davidson. Todd Bowles didn’t sugarcoat it afterward, calling the move “inexcusable.” Less than 24 hours later, Tampa Bay made it official: Sanders was waived.

Layer in the backdrop: Shilo entered camp as an undrafted longshot, scrapping for one of the last safety chairs against Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom. The margin was razor-thin even before kickoff. And throwing a punch only tipped the scales against him.

Widen the frame, and you see a pattern: in Colorado in 2023, Shilo Sanders was already ejected on a targeting call. That history doesn’t scream conspiracy. It feels like a running log of discipline issues every scout and coach keeps tabs on.

Let’s shift the focus to his brother. His August tape tells the story itself. He opened strong against Carolina (14-of-23, 138 yards, 2 TDs), then cratered a week later at the Rams with just 14 passing yards on 3-of-6 and five sacks. So, thinking that you can get away with a punch or acting entitled for a QB1 spot with subpar performances? There’s no better word for that than ego. The confidence of getting away with everything because you’re riding the ‘Sanders’ name is called ego. The fans see it, and they’re not staying quiet about it.

Fans are letting their feelings be known about the Sanders

Yeah, the fans made their feelings known against the Sanders brothers. One wrote, “Well, Daddy Deion spit in all the scouts, coaches, and owners faces. Deion’s ego was bad for business.” Fair enough. Deion’s larger-than-life persona worked wonders for Colorado’s brand, but in NFL war rooms, personality can’t outweigh performance. Scouts and GMs don’t forget when a dad hijacks the spotlight.

“Who cares. They acted like as— and will get treated as desert. Nobody will miss them,” one wrote. Yes, the NFL is brutally merit-based. But saying that the league won’t miss them? That’s a bit of a stretch. The ‘Sanders brothers’ storyline was probably the most engaging during the offseason.

“False. We just got overrun by the media hype all last year,” one remarked. Exactly. You know that one song which everyone considers to be great, but it turns everyone against it when it turns into TikTok music? Yeah, that’s exactly what went down with Shilo and Shedeur. Way too much hype, rarely about their ability.

Another echoed that exact sentiment. “Nope people overhyped and fucked ride the sanders. Overhyped them. Neither are starters on anyone’s teams,” they argued. Finally, “No. They just not as good as advetised!” one said. Every fan feels the same way. There’s no conspiracy behind it. It’s their entitled attitude, and exceedingly tiresome hype that turned the fans against them.