Shilo Sanders was keeping his options open. The 25-year-old safety showed up at the San Francisco 49ers’ facility last week for a tryout with five other hopefuls as the team scrambled to patch the Nick Bosa injury crisis. But any hopes he had of joining the 3-0, undefeated roster were quashed when the front office decided to sign safety Jaylen Mahoney. For Shilo, it was a tough blow, especially given the family connection to the team.

Having Shilo play for the 49ers would have been a full-circle moment for father Deion Sanders. ‘Prime Time’ had spent the 1994 season with the 49ers, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and a Super Bowl. No wonder seeing the team forsake his son for Mahoney had Sanders talking about the power of walking away.

Taking to his Instagram account yesterday, the Buffs’ HC posted an image where on the left side, burnt matches were separated from the unburnt matches on the right side by a single matchstick. It illustrated the concept of stepping back and saving oneself. “The strongest person is strong enough to walk away when it’s popular & convenient to stay!” read the caption.

Such messages, however, are not new. Sanders is known to post inspirational and motivational thoughts on social media.

Regardless, Shilo might take inspiration from his dad’s posts. It is a tough time for him, but Deion Sanders believes he will make it. Last week, in a conversation with Mark Johnson, the voice of the Buffs, Sanders confessed that Shilo is the “kid that’s gonna make it out of (his) five,” and here’s why:

Danny Duncan, the Instagram comedian known for his playful skits, recently teamed up with Shilo for a day at Gatorland in Florida. The video opens with Shilo carefully picking out matching outfits for the two before they dive into Duncan’s brand of comedy: feeding alligators, cracking jokes along the way, and even holding a baby gator. But the moment that lit up social media came when a passerby asked about the cameras. Without skipping a beat, Shilo shot back, “Do you know who Deion Sanders is?… That’s me. I’m Prime Time.”

The fan, apparently unaware of Coach Prime’s face but recognizing the name, smiled, thinking they’d just met the Hall of Famer himself. When another fan asked for a photo, Shilo leaned in on the bit, dropping his voice to mimic his dad’s trademark swagger: “Baby, of course you can, I’m Prime Time. Most definitely.”

Deion Sanders couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the clip. He reposted the clip with a simple caption: “lol.” But beyond the humor, the proud father used the moment to reiterate what has been the narrative all along about his son’s versatility.

If a career in the NFL or other professional leagues doesn’t pan out, Shilo plans to explore acting and modeling. That explains why Deion Sanders called his son an entertainer in the conversation with Mark Johnson.

• Last year, Shilo walked for the 2024 Louis Vuitton men’s fall-winter show in Paris.
• He also portrayed his father in an episode of Starz’s “BMF” last year.
• He has been involved in making music, too.

None of this is surprising, considering how Deion Sanders himself has previously been a part of music videos and experimented with fashion back in the day. He also appeared in movies like ‘With This Ring’ (2015) and ‘White T’ (2013). And would you believe me if I told you that ‘Prime Time’ was about to leave one sport (football or baseball) to explore his acting career? No?

Well, earlier this month, Sanders confessed: “Once upon a time, I was gonna surrender one of the sports − I’m not going to say which one − to go into acting.” In a way, Shilo is now standing at the same crossroads his father once faced. He may not be able to recreate his father’s NFL legacy after the way he was ejected by the Buccaneers, but he may have a fresh shot of his own, away from the bright lights of football.

Why did the 49ers pick Jaylen Mahoney over Shilo Sanders?

The team promoted DL Robert Beal Jr. to the active roster and signed DL William Bradley-King and S Jaylen Mahoney to the practice squad. But because they needed to make more room on the practice squad, the 49ers released DB Derrick Canteen.

Adding Mahoney instead of Shilo was a natural move for the team. Mahoney is familiar with them because he contributed in three games for San Francisco last season.

In January 2025, the team re-signed him to a reserve/future contract. That meant he found a spot on the 90-man roster going into the offseason. Unfortunately, he got waived in August, but with the new signing, he is back where he was. As for Shilo, he might explore other teams that need a safety or pivot towards other career options.