NFL Confirms Hefty Punishment for Shilo Sanders After Bucs’ Waived Rookie Announced Career Plans

Somehow, Shilo Sanders had clawed his way into the NFL. Undrafted, written off by scouts, overlooked by execs, and still, he managed to earn a jersey in Tampa Bay’s preseason camp. For a minute, it looked like the safety, son of Deion Sanders and brother of Browns QB Shedeur Sanders, was finally writing his own story. Then came Buffalo, the punch, and finally the fine.

The NFL officially docked Sanders $4,669 for throwing a punch at Bills tight end Zach Davidson in the Bucs’ preseason finale. He was tossed from the game, and just like that, his brief momentum turned into a cautionary tale.

This situation is complicated. While Sanders gets hit with a fine as a free agent, the league stayed quiet about something else. Davidson’s fingers jammed inside Sanders’s helmet during the scuffle. That detail barely made the news cycle. No penalty. No follow-up. Shilo carried the full weight of the incident.

Before the finale, Todd Bowles had raved about Sanders’s energy: “Very aggressive, very young, very hungry. He can play in the box, he can run down on special teams.” He mostly had all positive reviews and was a favorite to make it to the 53-man roster. But the angry moment changed everything.

After the punch, Bowles’ tone shifted. “You can’t throw punches in this league. I mean, that’s inexcusable,” he said. “They’re going to get you every time. Got to grow from that.” And the coach is right. Shilo Sanders should have been careful.

The fallout was swift. Sanders didn’t make the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster. He wasn’t added to the practice squad. And now, heading into Week 1, he’s a free agent with a fine attached to his name.

For Shilo Sanders, the dream was within reach, but in the NFL, moments matter. One swing, and it’s all gone.

Shilo Sanders is keeping his career options open

After Tampa Bay waived the rookie safety, the Sanders family is left hoping someone else will give him another chance. But Shilo isn’t waiting by the phone. The 25-year-old is ready to move on. On Instagram, he admitted music, modeling, and acting are on the table. “I’ll be talking to my agent and we’re waiting on the next opportunity,” Sanders said. “If that’s in the NFL, cool, but God has blessed me with a lot of talent to do things other than football.” Sanders isn’t bluffing.

In Colorado, he was as comfortable on stage and in front of cameras as he was in the secondary. His release may have forced the question earlier than expected, but his confidence in a plan B feels real. “I feel like this is just part of my story to grow and do bigger and better things,” he added. “Whether it’s finding another team, whether it’s getting another opportunity in the NFL, it is what it is.” And history says he’s not alone.

Bubba Smith turned a decade of NFL collisions into a Hollywood career, remembered more for Police Academy than his Pro Bowl years. Carl Weathers had a cup of coffee with the Raiders before his iconic roles in Rocky and Predator. Terry Crews spent four seasons bouncing around NFL rosters before breaking out on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Each proved the helmet doesn’t have to be the last costume an NFL player wears.

Shilo Sanders now sits at the same crossroads. His NFL shot may not be over. But if it is, he’s ready to face the worst. For Tampa Bay, the decision to cut him was about roster numbers and discipline. But for Shilo, it might just be the spark of a second act.

And in a league where opportunities vanish in an instant, that’s the harsh truth. Sometimes you don’t control when football ends, only what comes next.