Former Buccaneers UDFA safety Shilo Sanders (#28)
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As if this week couldn't get any worse for Shilo Sanders, the former Buccaneer received even more bad news just days after being cut.
As if this week couldn’t get any worse for Shilo Sanders, the former Buccaneer received a gut punch just days after being cut from Tampa Bay’s roster.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL is fining Sanders $4,669 for throwing a punch that led to his ejection during Tampa Bay’s preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills.
Shilo Sanders Receives Major Fine After Ejection, Release
While his brother, Shedeur Sanders, made headlines all spring and summer during the Cleveland Browns quarterback competition, Shilo entered the league as an undrafted free agent and had been fighting for a roster spot all preseason.
Sanders had a chance to make a strong final impression during their preseason finale against the Bills. But, he lost his cool while trying to fight off a block from tight end Zach Davidson and ended up being ejected for throwing a punch.
During the postgame press conference, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles didn’t mince words.
“You can’t throw punches in this league,” Bowles told reporters following the game. “That’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. Gotta grow from that.”
Even if Shilo Sanders had made the Buccaneers roster this week, he’d already be in the hole based on his miniscule guaranteed salary. As Fox Sports’ Greg Auman posted, Sanders only received $1,572 in guaranteed money, “so this fine represents just under three times that.”
A real punch: NFL is fining former Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders $4,669 for punching another player and being ejected from last Saturday night’s preseason game against Buffalo. Sanders wound up being released shortly after and has not been signed to another NFL team. pic.twitter.com/s6NFjrN50o
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2025
Following his release, Shilo Sanders is reportedly “considering a different career path in music, modeling or acting,” according to Bleacher Report’s Timothy Rapp.
“I’ll be talking to my agent and we’re waiting on the next opportunity,” Sanders said on social media. “If that’s in the NFL, cool, but god has blessed me with a lot of talent to do things other than football.”
Buccaneers Went ‘Heavy’ at Secondary on Final 53-Man Roster
With Shilo Sanders in the rearview mirror, the Buccaneers are moving forward with six cornerbacks and five safeties. As Buccaneers Senior Writer/Editor Scott Smith wrote during his roster review on Wednesday, “the Bucs went a little deep in the secondary to start the season, but there are still questions about whether or not [Christian] Izien (oblique) will be ready to go for Week One.”
The Buccaneers also decided to keep Kaevon Merriweather and Rashad Wisdom, in addition to their starting safeties, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tykee Smith.
Izien had several advantages over Shilo Sanders, but the main one that likely earned him a roster spot is his versatility.
“Izien showed in 2024 that he can handle virtually any position in the secondary and is invaluable when the team experiences an accumulation of injuries at one particular spot,” wrote Smith.
Speaking of injuries, the injuries to Winfield and cornerback Jamel Dean decimated the Buccaneers secondary last season. So, their decision to cut Shilo Sanders could prove detrimental in the long run.
As of now, though, Sanders didn’t perform well enough to make any team’s roster. So, it’s not too surprising that he missed the cut.