This offseason, the Sanders name has been spinning through the NFL discourse like a carousel with no brakes. It started with Deion Sanders championing Shedeur’s quarterback credentials, publicly and relentlessly. Then came the prank calls—directed at Shedeur and a few other prospects—as his draft stock unexpectedly dipped. It’s unclear if Shilo Sanders got one himself, but the anxiety hung over both brothers. In the end, Shedeur slipped to Day 3 before the Browns called his name. Shilo, meanwhile, faced a steeper climb. Undrafted and uncertain where, or if, he’d land.

On one of the draft nights, Shilo even jokingly addressed this, saying, “I don’t even know what they’re going to do with me – if they making him wait-oh buddy.” While the brothers laughed at this at the moment, there was some truth to it after all. Shedeur entered the draft class with the highest completion percentage (74.2%) and was supposed to be an easy early-round pick. But Shilo? He couldn’t even make it to the combine. Shilo recorded 67 tackles in his last season, with 44 of them going solo, along with one sack and two passes broken up. But his tape was rather modest, and not being invited to the combine certainly hit home the possibility that he wasn’t going to be a draft day prospect. But he finally got a much-appreciated place with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers post-draft. But did they really want him?

The Bucs chose 6 players in the draft, and Shilo Sanders wasn’t on that list. According to a post on X by Tampa Tones, GM Jason Licht shed some light on the matter. Licht says, “After the draft, his agent reached out if we would be interested – Todd and I looked at each other and nodded & said ya let’s do it.” So, it wasn’t the Bucs that reached out to Shilo, but instead it was his new agent, and then the Bucs made the call to sign him. The post further mentions Deion Sanders reached out to HC Todd Bowles, thanking him for Shilo’s opportunity, “Todd said Coach Prime called him & thanked him for bringing Shilo in and giving him a fair shot.” Coach Prime himself had chimed in on the Twitch stream where Shilo announced his news: “I’m very thankful. Tampa’s a wonderful spot – Coach Bowles is a defensive-minded guy. He’s brilliant.”

Interestingly, following his little bros plummet through the draft rounds, Shilo stepped away from Coach Prime as his agent and hired NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus to turn things around for the young safety. On a Twitch stream on Saturday, he said, “Dad was our agent, but that hasn’t been working out too good. So today I had to sign with an agent.” Being in the shadow of his little brother, as well as the weight of the name Deion Sanders, didn’t exactly open up the doors for him like he’d hoped. But as far as Shilo’s chances with the Bucs go, it’s definitely not all bad.

Shilo Sanders’ new Buccaneers journey

Shilo doesn’t have the stats that scream elite athlete, but he’s got some good stuff going for him, too. Ahead of the Colorado Pro Day, Shilo had been working on his speed and clocked an impressive 4.52 on his first attempt at the 40-yard dash. Shilo even went as far as hiring an external analytics company to track his speed. He has clearly been working on improving his stock as a player, and that shows. The Tampa Bay front office sees that, and that might also be why they gave him the shot.

HC Todd Bowles acknowledged Shilo’s skills in an interview, “I think he’s a good football player – He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well – So giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help us from safety standpoint and from a special teams standpoint.” This clarified any circling doubts about the Buccaneers doing a favor to Deion, and Bowles further added, “I’m excited to get him in here and see how he moves. I saw him tackle all year. I saw him make plays. He’s a very smart player – So we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do. And I think he’ll show himself well.” HC Todd Bowles’ comments are a welcome reaction to Shilo’s fans, and they can’t wait to see what he has in store for Tampa Bay’s future.

Watching his little brother’s and his own draft stocks plummet wasn’t easy on the Sanders’. The family even took to X to post Bible verses as the drama unfolded. But now, just like Shedeur with the Browns, Shilo Sanders has a chance to prove to everyone that he belongs on the gridiron and on the Buccaneers’ roster.