Shilo Sanders Credits His Mom for Fostering His Music Skills Which May Be His New Career if Not NFL

Neither Shedeur nor Shilo Sanders has achieved the success many envisioned for them in the NFL. Shedeur’s unprecedented draft slide left him as Cleveland’s QB3, and Shilo is no longer in the league.

Months after being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following his preseason ejection against the Buffalo Bills, the 25-year-old safety remains unsigned. But if there’s one thing Shilo isn’t doing, it’s sulking.

Right after his exit, the 25-year-old safety reflected on his NFL setback with surprising optimism. “I’m grateful for the opportunity Tampa gave me… God’s blessed me with a lot of talents to do other things other than play football. If this path doesn’t work out, I’ll be fine. I’ve got acting, modeling, music… things I’ve loved my whole life,” he said.

That mindset is one his father, Deion Sanders, preaches as well. “I’ve always told my kids to be well-rounded… Football is a blessing, but it’s not the only thing. Shilo’s got options,” Prime said earlier this year.

Well, those non-football options are quickly becoming a reality. From making headlines every other week with his streaming and YouTube vlogs to releasing his debut 15-track album Hate 2 Love in January, Shilo has seamlessly begun to reshape his identity outside the gridiron. Moreover, his new single “Change” is set to drop sometime in November, as he recently confirmed on Instagram.

That said, it turns out that while Deion Sanders may have passed on the athletic fire, Shilo says his creative side comes from his mom, Pilar Sanders. In a recent interview, he credited her for shaping much of what defines his off-field identity.

“She had a great impact, you know. My dad was more about sports… we got some good genetics from my mom also… But just everything off the field was my mom. Music, acting, modelling, even doing the streams… she’s been telling me to stream since I was like 15 years old… She bought my first keyboard,” Shilo said.

He also went on to recall how she pushed him into music long before football fame ever came calling:

“When I was younger, she forced me and Shedeur into piano lessons. I used to be crying, like, ‘I don’t want piano lessons — I want football practice!’ But without that, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”