His football future is uncertain — and his next move might surprise you
The Road Not Taken on the Gridiron
Shilo Sanders arrived at the professional football threshold with credentials that seemed to promise longevity. A safety who suited up for South Carolina, Jackson State, and Colorado — two seasons apiece — he entered the 2025 NFL Draft with genuine athletic pedigree. But the draft came and went without his name being called. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him as an undrafted free agent, a second chance that dissolved almost as quickly as it formed.
During a preseason matchup against the Buffalo Bills last Aug. 23, Sanders was ejected after throwing a punch at tight end Zach Davidson. The Buccaneers waived him the following day. The league fined him $4,669 for the altercation. Since then, no team has come calling, and nearly a year has passed in silence.
With the draft cycle now complete and rosters taking shape across the league, Sanders has turned to TikTok livestreams to address what comes next. His answer was candid and unvarnished — if no NFL team signs him, he intends to either pursue boxing seriously or explore professional basketball overseas.
Sanders and the Long History of Football-to-Boxing Crossovers
The pivot would not make him a pioneer. Dual careers between football and boxing have a traceable lineage in American sports.
Ed Jones, the first overall pick of the 1974 NFL Draft and a cornerstone of the Dallas Cowboys’ defense, made his professional boxing debut in 1979 against Abraham Yaqui Meneses. He went 6-0 before returning to football in 1980. More recently, Cincinnati Bengals legend Chad Johnson stepped into the ring on June 6, 2021, in an undercard bout before Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul headlined the evening. Both examples offer a visible roadmap for what Sanders is contemplating.
What gives the notion some credibility is Sanders’ history in the sport. He was a boxing champion in his youth, and clips of him working in the ring have circulated online — footwork sharp, reflexes on display. This is not a casual hobby; it is a background he could build upon.
The Basketball Option Is Uncharted Territory
The basketball path is murkier. The crossover from professional football to international basketball is exceptionally rare. Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver Devin Funchess made the leap in 2024, signing with the Caribbean Storm Islands of the Basketball League of Colombia, but such transitions remain outliers in American sports.
Sanders has not announced any formal basketball plans. His connection to the sport appears largely social — footage of him playing casually with his sister, Shelomi Sanders, a member of the Alabama women’s basketball program, has made rounds on social media. Whether that translates into professional aspiration remains to be seen.
Bankruptcy Trial Looms Large
The uncertainty about his athletic career unfolds alongside a far more consequential legal battle. A 2015 incident from Sanders’ adolescence — when he was 15 and allegedly assaulted a high school security guard named John Darjean during a dispute over a cellphone — eventually became a $11.89 million default judgment against him in 2022 after he failed to appear in a Texas court.
To avoid satisfying that debt, Sanders filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2023. The trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 31, 2026, in Denver and is expected to run five days under the oversight of Judge Michael Romero. His legal team recently filed several motions to exclude evidence of his juvenile disciplinary record — including time spent in a detention facility — arguing that such information could unfairly prejudice jurors before deliberations begin.
A Public Dispute Adds to the Noise
Sanders has also drawn scrutiny for a public exchange with Cleveland Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot. After Cabot reported that Sanders’ younger brother, Shedeur Sanders, was not leading the competition for the starting quarterback position in Cleveland, Shilo posted a dismissive, sexist remark directed at her on Instagram. Critics were swift and pointed in calling out the comment as both unprofessional and demeaning.
Sanders defended his position rather than apologizing, questioning the quality of Cabot’s reporting. The incident added another layer of controversy to a figure who, at just 26, has accumulated an unusually turbulent public profile for someone still searching for professional footing.
What path he ultimately chooses — football, boxing, basketball, or something else entirely — remains an open question. But for now, Shilo Sanders is at a crossroads, navigating the gap between who he was and who he intends to become.
Source: Essentially Sports