Deion Sanders called, thanked Tampa Bay Buccaneers for giving Shilo 'a fair shot'

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed former Colorado safety Shilo Sanders this past Saturday as an undrafted free agent. After Sanders became the newest Buccaneer, head coach Todd Bowles received a phone call from Shilo Sanders’ father, Deion Sanders.

“Coach Prime called him Saturday night and thanked him for giving [Shilo] a fair shot,” general manger Jason Licht said Tuesday on The Pat and Aaron Show on 95.3 WDAE.

Licht added that Sanders will, indeed, get a “fair shot” at making the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster. Sanders did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. Immediately after, he hired agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey to help him find an NFL team to sign him as an undrafted free agent. Rosenhaus called Tampa Bay asking if they would be interested in signing the 25-year-old. Licht and Bowles jumped at the opportunity.

“We’ve talked about [Sanders] quite a bit in the process,” Licht said, via JoeBucsFan.com.

Shilo Sanders lands opportunity with Buccaneers

Sanders began his career at South Carolina in 2019, playing two seasons for the Gamecocks. He then transferred to Jackson State to follow his father before following him again, going to Colorado in 2023.

Over the course of two years with the Buffaloes, he logged 137 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, five pass deflections, a pick six, three fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Sanders amassed 170 career tackles with South Carolina and Colorado at the Power Four level.

Sanders will look to compete for a depth spot in Tampa Bay’s secondary. Backup jobs at the safety position appear to be wide open, with Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith set to start.

“I think he’s a good football player,” Bowles said Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “He’s a heck of a tackler and he knows the game very well; he can see the game very well. So, giving him a chance to play, we think he has a shot to help us from a safety standpoint and from a special teams standpoint.

“So, I’m excited to get him in here and see how he moves. I saw him tackle all year. I saw him make plays. He’s a very smart player and he understands the game very well. So, we thought it was worth a shot to see what he can do. And I think he’ll show himself well.”