Deion Sanders now has two sons in the NFL, joining the growing ranks of brothers in the league.
Hours after quarterback Shedeur, 23, was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, his brother, safety Shilo, signed a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, April 26, as an undrafted free agent.
Shilo, 25, was not picked up by a team during the 2025 NFL Draft earlier this weekend. Shedeur, meanwhile, was projected to be chosen in the first round, but instead heard his name called in the fifth and after much speculation that his father somehow influenced his disappointing draft standing.
“Both of y’all, you’re resilient,” Deion, 57, told his two sons during a Twitch livestream on Saturday, per USA Today. “[The draft] tested the whole family. I’m thankful. Tampa’s a wonderful spot.”
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce are among some of football’s most acclaimed pairs of brothers to play in the NFL. Peyton was initially drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, nearly six years before little brother Eli was picked up by the San Diego Chargers. Eli was eventually traded […]
None of the Sanders family attended the Draft live in Green Bay, Wisconsin, instead watching from their family home in Texas. They were all particularly surprised that Shedeur wasn’t drafted higher in the program.
“We all didn’t expect this, of course,” Shedeur said in a social media video earlier this week, after his name wasn’t called in the first round. “But I feel like with God, anything’s possible — everything’s possible. I don’t feel like this happened for no reason.”
Shedeur Sanders, Deion Sanders, and Shilo Sanders. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
He added, “All this is of course fuel to the fire. Under no circumstance — we all know this shouldn’t have happened. But we understand, we’re on to bigger and better things. Tomorrow’s the day. We’re going to be happy regardless.”
Days later, Shilo noted via Twitch that he was just hopeful to make it into the NFL on any team to be able to play against his younger sibling. (Famous NFL brothers also include the Kelces, the Mannings, the Watts and the McCaffreys.)
Long before the Cleveland Browns selected his son Shedeur in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft on Saturday, April 26, Deion Sanders blasted the team on social media. “I love what the Browns have done this offseason, but if I’m a young QB, ain’t no way I’m going to Cleveland,” the NFL legend […]
Shedeur and Shilo, of course, are following in dad Deion’s footsteps. The legendary wide receiver played in the NFL for 14 seasons on the Atlanta Falcons, the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Washington Commanders and the Baltimore Ravens. He was inducted into the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
Deion, famously known by his Prime Time nickname, is currently the head football coach for the Colorado Buffaloes. Under the moniker Coach Prime, he trained both Shedeur and Shilo at the school and is now looking forward to their next steps with the NFL.
“Everybody’s worried about what happened yesterday & fear the possibilities of what will happen tomorrow when we should be focused on NOW,” Deion wrote via X on Sunday, April 27. “What we do with our NOW is what matters the most. Let’s make the most of our NOW. #Dad/CoachPrime.”
