Shilo Sanders Speaks Candidly on NFL Earnings After Stint With Tampa Bay

Shilo Sanders revealed in a recent video that he was fined nearly all of the money he made in the NFL.

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

Former Colorado Buffaloes safety and son of coach Deion Sanders, Shilo Sanders, revealed how much money he earned from his brief NFL career.

He admitted that he was fined all but roughly $300 of his NFL earnings before being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Shilo Sanders’s college football career

Nov 29, 2024; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes safety Shilo Sanders (21) reacts in the second quarter against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Sanders spent two seasons at South Carolina before joining his father for two seasons at Jackson State and Colorado, respectively. 

In that time, he recorded 184 total tackles, 136 of which were unassisted, nine pass breakups, one sack, six force fumbles, six interceptions and a touchdown. 

His lone score came on an 80-yard pick-six in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Showdown matchup against the Colorado State Rams in 2023. 

Shilo Sanders’s NFL career

Aug 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders (28) in pass coverage against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

After his final season at Colorado in 2024, Sanders went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, he was still given an NFL opportunity, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.

He appeared in three preseason games, registering just four tackles and a quarterback hurry. Unfortunately for Sanders, he made one crucial mistake that cost him on the field and in his bank account.

After a play in the Buccaneers’ preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills, Sanders threw a punch at Bills tight end Zach Davidson. Davidson was putting his hands in Sanders’s facemask, but as the old adage goes in the NFL, they always catch the second guy.

Here is the play that got Shilo Sanders ejected. pic.twitter.com/7LRplnywzo

— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) August 24, 2025

Throwing a punch was still an unwise move by Sanders, though, a sentiment shared by Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles postgame.

"You can't throw punches in this league," Bowles said. "That's inexcusable. They're gonna get you every time. Gotta grow from that." 

Sanders was ejected from the game and cut the next day.

Shilo Sanders reveals NFL earnings

Aug 16, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Shilo Sanders (28) warms up before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The league fined him $4,669 for the punch, a total which Sanders revealed he made slightly more than from his NFL paycheck.

“I got fined like $4,000, and I only got paid like $5,000,” Sanders said. “...Coach Bowles gave me a hug, that was my signing bonus.”

The small earnings from his time in the league, paired with how little time he spent on the field, the ejection and the fact that no other teams called Sanders after his Buccaneers release have brought him to the conclusion that his NFL career is likely over.

“It takes a special kind of guy to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Sanders said. “I don’t think there’s any light in my tunnel.”

Sanders’s friend and former Buccaneers teammate, JayVian Farr, encouraged him not to give up all hope just yet.

Shilo Sanders reveals that he was fined $4k out of his $5K for playing with the Buccaneers 👀

Shilo says he’s no longer training to get back in the NFL, but his friend tells him he needs to stay in shape in case there’s an opportunity, so Shilo does some drills to show he’s… pic.twitter.com/d1cudPZBWx

— Slime🐍 (@ItsKingSlime) April 18, 2026

“Forget that, bro, faith without works is dead,” Farr said. “...Keep working, what if that call does come? You’ll be like, ‘Dang, I haven’t put a pair of cleats on since…whenever it was,’...You’re going to say you’re ready, but in your mind you’ll know, ‘This isn’t the best product I could put out there.’”

Sanders’s career hangs in the balance, and only time will tell if Farr’s comments had any impact on his course of action.

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