Just like his quarterback brother Shedeur, Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie safety Shilo Sanders finally made his NFL preseason debut and he was also impressive as the Bucs won 29-7 at home against the Tennessee Titans. Of course, the brothers are the sons of NFL great and Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders (Coach Prime), who expects nothing less from his sons during their respective NFL debuts.
In a post-game interview inside the Buccaneers’ locker room, Shilo Sanders was asked if he would send over his preseason jersey to his dad, Deion. However, he admitted that his dad would not appreciate such a gesture, but he will instead be sending it to his mom.
“You know he’s a Hall of Famer. He expects, like, 30 picks, he doesn’t want it. I’ma send it to my mom though,” he told reporters.
Reporters then asked if he would not send the jersey as a birthday gift instead, and the Sanders son said that the answer would still be no.
“Nah, he don’t want it. I gotta get, like, three picks or something,” Shilo Sanders answered.
Video: Bucs rookie Shilo Sanders says he’ll send the jersey from tonight’s game to his mom, joking he’d have to get three picks for his dad to want it. pic.twitter.com/U1kqjxNRJP
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) August 10, 2025
Shilo Sanders was playing with a lot of pressure coming into Saturday’s game against the Titans, especially with his dad being an NFL great and his brother, Shedeur, playing excellently the night before.
How Did Shilo Sanders Do During His Debut Game for Tampa Bay?
As for how well the Sanders son did during his preseason debut for the Buccaneers, Shilo Sanders had one successful tackle on quarterback Brandon Allen. The rookie safety snuck up to Allen, up the line of scrimmage untouched, and tackled him. However, this happened just after he threw the ball, but he pressured the quarterback enough in that tackle.
He spoke to reporters about that moment as well:
“It felt good. Thank you, God, for putting me in position to even be on the field. I feel like I left some big hits on the table. Next game will be some improvement on my angles, on my tracking because you don’t really get to work on it in an NFL practice or you’re gonna get kicked out of practice. Seeing a game for the first time in a long time, did some good things. It is what it is.”
Unlike Shedeur, Shilo went undrafted but was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is still battling for a roster spot for the Bucs, though the defensive backfield for the team is quite crowded already. His performance on Saturday might change a few minds about him, however.
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