It looks as if Shilo Sanders might get another shot at starting his NFL career. The 25-year-old safety was brought in to work out for the San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday, showing off his skills for a team that is looking for some defensive depth.
Sanders went undrafted this April at the NFL Draft but signed as rookie free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was cut in August after getting ejected during a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. Sanders threw a punch at tight end Zach Davidson after taking exception to how he was being handled physically.
Here is the play that got Shilo Sanders ejected. pic.twitter.com/7LRplnywzo
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) August 24, 2025
"You can't throw punches in this league," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said at the time, via the team's website. "That's inexcusable. They're going to get you every time. Gotta grow from that."
It was an unfortunately disgraceful end to his tenure in Tampa Bay but he appears to have served his time on the outside and could be given an opportunity to re-prove himself.
What were Shilo Sanders options after release from Buccaneers?
When Shilo was released by the Buccaneers, he had a few options. First, he could continue his chase to make an NFL roster. He was talented enough to be signed as an undrafted free agent in the first place, and while there wasn't any room for him on the Buccaneers roster, injuries happen all the time in this league. All Sanders had to do was wait his turn.
The second option, as his father Deion alluded to, would be to make money outside of football. Shilo has a large media platform that he could use to his advantage if he grew tired of playing for practice squad scraps after a brief taste of it.
"Oh, most definitely [I've talked to him]," Sanders said. "He's my son, I'm proud of my kids, all of them. And I prepared my kids for any and everything that could possibly happen in life and in sports. That's part of fathering, that's part of parenting, that's part of having a relationship. So he is mentally where he needs to be, physically where he needs to be. We're praying that he gets another opportunity to go with a team, but if he doesn't, the plans have already been put forward to what he's going to do next."
As it turns out, Shilo had all of his ducks in a row. Then, an NFL team finally came calling.
Shilo Sanders may return to NFL for team with connection to his father
Deion Sanders, Shilo's father, played 14 games for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1994 NFL season. So, there's some decent history there and potentially some good will for Shilo to capitalize on.
It's unclear if San Francisco will actually sign Sanders, even to the practice squad, but there are already some questions swirling surrounding the team's depth.
Safety Malik Mustapha hit the injured reserve/PUP list on Aug. 26 for a knee injury. He's missed the first three games and will be out for Week 4 as well but the Niners are 3-0 and seem to be doing okay without him.
Though, adding a piece like Sanders as an insurance policy wouldn't be a terrible idea. You would think he's learned his lesson from a disciplinary standpoint and will have his temper under control this time around.
Sanders doesn't deserve to be black balled from the league for one small mistake - and by no means am I suggesting he is - but his talents at Colorado weren't as flashy as quarterback brother, Shedeur. He's still got a lot to prove and perhaps San Francisco may be the perfect place for him to do it.