Oct 19, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffalos safety Shilo Sanders (21) against the Arizona Wildcats at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

What Deion Sanders Said To Tampa Bay Buccaneers After Signing Shilo Sanders

Originally posted on Colorado Buffaloes on SI
By Cory Pappas | Last updated Apr 30, 2025 7:05 PM ET

Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. Following the draft, Sanders signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent. Buccaners general manager Jason Licht spoke this week about the signing.

Sanders’s father and Colorado coach, Deion Sanders reached out to Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, thanking him for giving his son the opportunity.

With Deion coaching him at Colorado in 2023 and 2024, Shilo recorded 137 total tackles, five passes defended, two tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, one interception, and one sack. Prior to Colorado, Shilo played at Jackson State and South Carolina.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager, Coach Discuss Shilo Sanders Signing

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht went on a local Tampa Bay sports radio show (95.3 WDAE) earlier this week and talked about the Shilo Sanders signing. Licht said Shilo’s agent called the team, asking if they would sign him. They did.

“Coach Prime called him (Todd Bowles) Saturday night and thanked him for giving (Shilo) a fair shot,” Licht said.

Bowles also spoke this week about Sanders on SiriusXM NFL Radio, discussing how he can help the Buccaneers team this upcoming season.

“He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well,” Bowles said. “So giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help is from. A safety standpoint and from a special team standpoint. So I’m excited to get him in here and see how he moves.”

Bowles has been impressed with the smarts that Shilo plays with.

“I saw him tackle all year. I saw him make plays. He’s a very smart players and he understands the game very well,” Bowles said. “So we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do. And I think he’ll show himself well."

Sanders Family Has A Eventful NFL Draft Weekend

It was a chaotic draft weekend for the Sanders family. Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was projected by most to be a first round pick or at the very least, an early second round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft. Not only did Shedeur slide out of the first and second rounds, he slid all the way to day three of the draft and was taken in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.

It turned into the story of the draft, as Shedeur, who was live streaming on Twitch, was getting prank called (by an NFL defensive coordinator’s son of all people) about being drafted. At long last, the Browns did take him No. 144 overall, despite passing on him numerous times and after already taking a quarterback in the third round (Dillon Gabriel).

Shedeur Sanders now joins a Browns quarterback room with Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson, and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel.

This article first appeared on Colorado Buffaloes on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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