It was time Shilo Sanders surveyed the boxes packed in his garage and leave for The Big Sombrero. Getting drafted in the final rounds is bad enough. But the odds of ever seeing the field in a regular season game after getting selected in what is often referred to as the “eighth round” of the NFL draft are never on your side. Be it as it may, Shilo, for now, is taking one step at a time. He has made the move from Boulder to Tampa Bay and has arrived for the team’s rookie mini-camp, which began Friday.

Earlier this week, Alex Kay of Bleacher Report predicted Sanders’ road to the NFL would be “brutal,” and went as far as saying that his odds of making it to the Bucs roster were no more than ten percent. Was calling it “brutal” a stretch? Absolutely. Shilo has a good chance to make a name for himself, and that too, for good reasons. For starters, HC Todd Bowles said he needs “ball hawks” on defense. This comes at a time when Jordan Whitehead, who was first placed on the non-football injury list after a car accident, was released on Wednesday. Overall, the 2024 season had the worst show for safeties with NFL All-Pro Antoine Winfield Jr. missing a career high 7 games with various injuries. Translation? Shilo has a big week ahead of him.

Rookie minicamp will be a cattle call for many to prove what they’re worth. As for Shilo, he looked good. He had a little joke to crack as he got off the bus, raring to enter the team’s facilities and get started: “I know I ain’t got no code yet, so I need somebody to let me in.” Soon enough, videos of Shilo working on position drills while rocking the No. 28 jersey, as opposed to his dad’s No. 21 that he’s used to wearing since 2020, started pouring in. And now, per the report released at the Bucs’ official website, their new decision on Shilo is to officially sign him into the offseason roster, along with 14 other UDFAs. Here’s the official statement that read:

“There are some new candidates in the building, as on Thursday, the Buccaneers announced the signings of 15 rookie free agents, all of whom officially signed their contracts… This year’s list includes Colorado safety Shilo Sanders and Florida defensive lineman Desmond Watson.” It is noteworthy that the Bucs will incur absolutely zero financial risk for what Shilo is currently worth, who will earn $840,000 as a rookie, the minimum salary if he makes the roster.

Meanwhile, unlike the fact that Shilo may have a good chance at making it to the 53-man roster, his younger brother, Shedeur, will have a tough time getting the starting job in the QB room, having four potential starters ahead of him. However, only time will tell whether Shilo will go on and impress Bowles as he expects him to. If not, then the Bucs’ previous stance on Shilo would end up coming true.

The Buccaneers didn’t want Shilo Sanders until someone changed their mind

After witnessing 32 franchises pass on the prospect of adding Shilo, he had to make a drastic decision. The 25-year-old chose to seek his dad, Deion, as his agent. Neither Shedeur nor Shilo had a traditional agent representing them. Their dad, Deion, looked after everything related to their career. So, when that move didn’t work out too well with franchises ignoring the Sanders round after round, Shilo signed with an agent. “Dad was our agent, but that hasn’t been working out too good. So today I had to sign with an agent,” Shilo said on his Twitch stream. The agent he chose was Drew Rosenhaus. And instantly, Shilo bore the fruit of having a proper agent rather than his dad dictating his future.

Once the draft was over and Shilo signed with the Bucs, their GM, Jason Licht, spoke about them not wanting him until Rosenhaus changed their mind. “After the draft, his agent reached out if we would be interested—Todd Bowles & I looked at each other nodded & said ya let’s do it.” Licht even added how Deion personally called Todd to thank him for the opportunity they presented Shilo with. “Coach Prime called him & thanked him for bringing Shilo in and giving him a fair shot.”

Shilo may not be a top prospect like his brother, though both had gone through astonishing draft slides. But there’s absolutely no argument in their grit and determination. Shilo has a chance to prove everyone of those who doubted his capabilities. He will look to prove that his future doesn’t only belong on the gridiron but also on the Buccaneers’ roster to kick off his NFL career.