Shilo Sanders Hints At Potential Career Change After Being Cut By NFL Team

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 2:11 PM ET

Not every football player who gets from an NFL team keeps trying to play pro football. Many change careers entirely and that could wind up being the path taken by free agent safety Shilo Sanders.

The former Colorado star and Tampa Bay Buccaneers UDFA was cut by the Bucs during final roster cuts earlier this week and went unclaimed by all teams as rosters were finalized and practice squads were assembled.

With his NFL dream seemingly done already, what's next for him?

Shilo asked that very question in a YouTube video he shared on Thursday. In the four-minute video, Shilo addressed being waived by Tampa Bay, thanking the team for the opportunity and making it clear that he's not retiring from football.

But Shilo then said that if NFL teams don't reach out to him, he's prepared to shift his focus to a combination of entertainment spheres in acting, modeling or music to make a living.

Shilo Sanders already has some acting experience under his belt. He portrayed a younger version of his own father, NFL and MLB legend Deion Sanders in Season 3 of the TV series "BMF."

Suffice it to say, there are options on the table for him.

A rough road back

Shilo Sanders played six years of college football, two at South Carolina, two at Jackson State under his father and his final two at Colorado.

Sanders was a solid tackler for the Buffaloes, recording 137 tackles, three tackles for loss, five forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns for them. But he also dealt with a handful of injuries and struggled in coverage, seldom winning any acclaim for his skills in the defensive backfield.

He ultimately went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft but was given his shot at making the team as a UDFA by the Bucs.

You can never really say never in the NFL, but being cut as a UDFA and immediately changing career paths doesn't exactly set the stage for Shilo to become the next great NFL safety.

The final piece of in-game film that NFL general managers are going to see in the future is him being ejected from his final preseason game.

Have we seen the last of Shilo Sanders on an NFL team?

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: