It appears rookie Shilo Sanders’ time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has come to an end, as his agents informed ESPN‘s Adam Schefter that the NFL franchise on Sunday notified the 25-year-old about their decision to waive him.
The rookie safety’s agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey, however, expressed their optimism regarding Sanders being claimed on waivers. The NFL has given teams until Tuesday to reduce their team rosters to 53 players.
Sanders was in the Buccaneers’ squad that played against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday in their third pre-season match. But he made the news for the wrong reasons after he was ejected from the game for punching opposition tight end player, Zach Davidson.
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Sanders, whose father is NFL legend and Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, was being blocked by Davidson when the former punched the Bills player. The Buccaneers ultimately lost the game 23-19, and the team’s coach, Todd Bowles, later registered his displeasure with Sanders’ actions.
“You can’t throw punches in this league — that’s inexcusable,” Bowles said after the game. “They’re going to get you every time. You’ve got to grow from that.”
The Buccaneers signed Sanders as an undrafted free agent after he wasn’t picked by any team in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 25-year-old, as well as fellow players Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom, were vying for the fourth and last Buccaneers safety spot to support Antoine Winfield Jr., Tykee Smith, and Christian Izien, ESPN reported.
NFL legend Shannon Sharpe touched on Sanders’ current situation and implied that the news of his release made headlines because of his name.
“Sometimes your last name can be a blessing and a curse. It’s not normal that (undrafted) free agents have breaking news that they’re being released,” Sharpe said on the Nightcap podcast, per talkSPORT. “Because his name is Sanders, the blessing and the curse, people say, ‘He only got an opportunity because his last name is Sanders.'”
He added: “This is the first time that Shilo has been told he’s not good enough. I mean, he’s been a phenomenal player (in college). I think he’s 25 (years old). And for the first time in your life — he’s in his mid-20s — this is the first time somebody ever tells you that you’re not good enough.”
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