Deion Sanders Sends Message to Buccaneers Over Shilo Sanders

Amid the high-profile plummet of Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders actually had two sons find homes with teams this past weekend.

Former Colorado safety Shilo Sanders signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after a solid collegiate career where his father, Deion Sanders, coached the team. Also known as “Coach Prime,” Sanders reached out to Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles afterward, which general manager Jason Licht confirmed.

“Coach Prime called him Saturday night and thanked him for giving (Shilo) a fair shot,” Licht told WDAE on Tuesday.

Licht added that Shilo Sanders has “a fair shot” to make the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster. Sanders played six collegiate seasons between South Carolina, Jackson State, and Colorado between 2019 and 2024. He tallied 182 tackles, a sack, six interceptions, 18 pass deflections, and seven forced fumbles.

“We’ve talked about [Sanders] quite a bit in the process,” Licht told WDAE.

Shilo Sanders’ younger brother, Shedeur, looked like a potential first-round pick in the NFL Draft, but he slid all the way to the fifth round. The Cleveland Browns ultimately drafted the former Colorado quarterback.

Todd Bowles Sees Potential in Shilo Sanders

Bowles spoke of Sanders during his appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday. Sanders had a 68.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, but Bowles sees the potential for Sanders at the NFL level.

“He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well; he can see the game very well,” Bowles told SiriusXM NFL Radio via JoeBucsFan.com. “So giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help us from a safety standpoint and from a special teams standpoint. So 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 and he understands the game very well. So we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do. And I think he’ll show himself well.”

Shilo Sanders Had Father as Coach During Prep and Collegiate Careers

Shilo Sanders grew up in Texas where he became a prep star at Trinity Christian where his father was the offensive coordinator at the time. Afterward, Shilo Sanders competed at South Carolina for two seasons where he tallied 34 tackles and a forced fumble amid limited playing time in 2019 and 2020.

He transferred to Jackson State a year after his father took the head coaching job for the SWAC school. Shilo Sanders helped JSU become a SWAC power for two seasons amid 59 tackles, five interceptions, eight pass deflections, and two forced fumbles in 20 career games there.

Then, Shilo Sanders followed his father to Colorado in 2023. Shilo Sanders had 137 tackles, a sack, an interception for a touchdown, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and five pass deflections in  21 games.

His father played in the NFL from 1989 to 2005 and won two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers along the way. The elder Sanders dominated as a defensive back amid nine pick sixes, 53 interceptions overall, 25 pass deflections, 15 forced fumbles, and 512 tackles in his storied career.