The Tampa Bay Buccaneers waived Shilo Sanders less than 24 hours after the team ejected him for throwing a punch in a preseason scrap. The moment came when the Bills’ tight end Zach Davidson roughly blocked Shilo. The safety swiped at the counterpart in front of the official, who hit him with an unnecessary roughness penalty.  “You can’t throw punches in this league. It’s inexcusable. They’re gonna get you every time,” head coach Todd Bowles said. He added, “You gotta grow from that.”

For Shilo, who had been grinding for a roster spot after going undrafted out of Colorado under the watch of his father, Coach Prime, the timing couldn’t be worse.  And now Shannon Sharpe is weighing in, pointing out how carrying the Sanders name can open doors but also put a spotlight on every stumble.

“Sometimes your last name can be a blessing and a curse. It’s not normal that free agents have breaking news that they’re being released,” he said on the Nightcap podcast. He doubled down, saying, “He’s an undrafted free agent, and because his name is Sanders, the blessing and the curse, people say, well, Shannon, he only got an opportunity because his last name is Sanders. I haven’t, I mean, maybe you can recall the last time an undrafted free agent, it was breaking news that he was getting released, getting waived, whatever the case may be.” His words captured how legacy can fuel opportunity but also magnify every misstep.

Meanwhile, Shilo’s big brother, Deion Sanders Jr., better known as Bucky, flipped the narrative. Jumping on Instagram, Bucky shared some numbers that felt like a reality check. He reshared a post reminding that the players’ practice squad checks aren’t exactly chump change. $13,000 a week for rookies ($234,000 over 18 weeks) and up to $22,000 a week for veterans, totaling nearly $400,000. He added his own caption to drive the point home: “People go to school for 6-8 years to make that kind of money. Y’all better go be scout team warriors.”  His message was blunt: stop crying, stack that bag.

For comparison, that’s the kind of salary most professionals grind through years of schooling to earn, while practice squad players get it just for sharpening the starters. So, is Shilo taking that road?

Shilo Sanders’ next career move

So, the first domino fell on Instagram, not on any press release. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news, adding: Shilo’s agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, said they are eyeing for “claim on waivers.” And Deion Sanders liked the post. It wasn’t just a father’s nod; it was Coach Prime showing faith that someone across the 31 other rosters might put in a claim or, at the very least, stash his son on a practice squad.

But timing is everything, and late-August cuts sting worse for rookies fighting uphill. If no team calls his name in the waiver window, Shilo hits the market as a free agent. That opens the door to a practice-squad gig or a futures deal. But the punch-ejection combo doesn’t exactly polish his résumé. History proves plenty of undrafted safeties survive these setbacks, though every slip shrinks the room to recover.

Maybe that’s why Shilo is still making the post-waivers predictions. Chris Roling of Bengals Wire noted that Cincinnati’s safety room remains unsettled, with Geno Stone battling injury and little separation from Jordan Battle, Tycen Anderson, or PJ Jules. Daijahn Anthony’s preseason injury only deepened the concern, prompting Roling to list available options… Including Shilo Sanders. Roling wrote that while Sanders’ release may have been inevitable, if the Bengals see value in his skill set, he’s now a gamble sitting on the market.

For Sanders, the mission is clear—find a new locker room before Week 1 and turn the fortune around by proving that he’s better than a one moment. Carrying the Sanders surname adds spotlight but also weight. Now, whether his lifeline comes through a waiver claim or a practice-squad contract, Shilo steps into the NFL’s harsh proving ground.