Shilo Sanders was a promising safety during his collegiate career, with highlight moments that showed his athletic brilliance. He represented South Carolina, Jackson State, and Colorado for two seasons each. He went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft but was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent before being released by them. Almost a year has passed since his release, and he is still without a team. While the uncertainty around his football career looms, Sanders has made up his mind on pursuing a different path.
“If I don’t get picked up by a team, I’m either gonna take boxing seriously, or I’m gonna try to play basketball overseas,” said Sanders in a TikTok livestream.
Sanders’ time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended during the preseason itself. During his final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on August 23, 2025, Sanders was ejected for throwing a punch at tight end Zach Davidson.
The Buccaneers waived Sanders the following day, with the NFL fining him $4,669 for the incident. With the draft taking place and several teams having made their decisions, Sanders does not seem to be on the radar of any NFL team. He is currently actively streaming, but it seems like the former Colorado safety is looking to transition to boxing or play basketball abroad as his next career move.
Now, NFL players transitioning isn’t something new. Former Dallas Cowboys safety Ed Jones stands as one of the prime examples, who was selected as the first overall pick in the 1974 NFL Draft. But shortly after, the NFL defensive end also made his professional boxing debut against Abraham Yaqui Meneses in 1979. He went 6-0 in pro-boxing before returning to football in 1980.
Meanwhile, when it comes to exhibition bouts, Bengals legend Chad Johnson fought Brian Maxwell on June 6, 2021, in the undercard of Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul. So, for Shilo Sanders, he has multiple NFL stars as an example of how transitioning to boxing unfolds.
The number of players who move from football to basketball is quite rare, despite there being many debates of players from the respective sports about which is tougher to play. Former Carolina Panthers WR Devin Funchess officially moved to professional basketball in 2024. He signed with the Caribbean Storm Islands of the Basketball League of Colombia. However, Sanders has not made an official announcement about it.
Shilo Sanders says he’s looking to either become a professional boxer, or play overseas basketball
pic.twitter.com/bGvfDYefu9
— GUCCE (@gucceCU) May 9, 2026
Sanders was a boxing champion in his youth. He has often been seen in videos displaying speed and sharp movements in the ring, which is why he stated his interest in becoming a boxer. While there is no evidence of him playing basketball, videos of him on the court with his sister, Shelomi Sanders, made rounds online. His sister currently plays for the women’s basketball team at Alabama.
Currently, the former Colorado safety is involved in a bankruptcy case and an online battle with a journalist, which are additions to the list of controversies he has been involved in.
A look into the controversies surrounding Shilo Sanders
Shilo Sanders is just 26 but has faced several significant controversies spanning his personal conduct, legal battles, and professional behavior. His most recent headlines involve a bankruptcy trial following an $11 million debt judgment and a public dispute with a journalist.
The controversy surrounding the bankruptcy trial stems from a 2015 incident. Sanders was 15 back then, when he allegedly assaulted high school security guard John Darjean during a dispute over a cell phone. As a result, the security guard filed a lawsuit against him. In 2022, a Texas court awarded Darjean an $11.89 million default judgment after Shilo failed to appear for the trial.
To avoid paying the $11.89M debt, Shilo filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2023. As things stand, the bankruptcy trial is scheduled to begin on August 31, 2026, in Denver. The proceedings are estimated to last five days and will be overseen by Judge Michael Romero.
However, before that, Sanders’ attorney filed several “motions in limine” a few days back. This was done to restrict evidence regarding his juvenile disciplinary history, including time spent at a detention facility. They saw it as an important step to prevent jurors from seeing information that could unfairly influence their perception of Sanders.
“Go make a sandwich, Mary,” Shilo replied on Instagram.
While many called out Shilo for the sexist and unprofessional comments, the former Colorado safety maintained his stance and questioned Cabot’s reporting. Even though backlash followed, Shilo seems to look forward to his career, and it will be interesting to see how everything unfolds.
