The preseason game against the Bills was Shilo Sanders’ last chance to show the Tampa Bay Buccaneers he belonged on their roster. Instead, things went wrong in the second half after the safety got involved in a tussle with Buffalo‘s TE Zach Davidson. Things intensified quickly. Viewers witnessed Sanders throw a punch at Davidson, and the refs immediately sent him to the locker room. It goes without saying that HC Todd Bowles was unhappy with the incident.

“You can’t throw punches in this league… That’s inexcusable. They’re going to get you every time. Gotta grow from that,” he opined after the game. In fact, the Bucs wasted no time in taking action as they cut Sanders 48 hours before the NFL’s roster cut deadline. But now, the NFL is making its stance clear, too. Sanders, who was ejected from the game due to unnecessary roughness, has been fined $4,669 for his action.

But perhaps the whole situation wasn’t solely Sanders’ fault. An alternate angle of the scuffle showed that Davidson’s fingers were inside the safety’s facemask. And that could have rubbed Sanders the wrong way. It is also against the league’s rule: “No player shall grasp and control, twist, turn, push, or pull the facemask of an opponent in any direction.” Is there a penalty in case something like this happens? Absolutely!

“If a player grasps an opponent’s facemask, he must immediately release it. If he does not immediately release it and controls his opponent, it is a foul.” But there are no reports of Davidson getting fined. The Bills released the TE on Tuesday, but that didn’t have anything to do with the scuffle with Sanders. They didn’t have much space for another TE. So, he will either look for a new gig or end up on the Bills’ practice squad. What about Sanders?

Ever since Sanders’ release, the Bucs have signed 17 players to their practice squad. That includes rookie safety Jack Henderson. On the flip side, none of the other 31 teams have signed Shilo Sanders. And considering his age as a rookie, 25, there is only a slim hope for an NFL career, and that’s something Sanders understands. Hence, he has talked about other careers he could pursue.

Shilo Sanders is keeping his options open

After Tampa Bay waived the rookie safety, the Sanders family is left hoping someone else will give him another chance. But Shilo Sanders isn’t waiting by the phone. The 25-year-old is ready to move on. On Instagram, he admitted music, modeling, and acting are on the table. “I’ll be talking to my agent and we’re waiting on the next opportunity,” Sanders said. “If that’s in the NFL, cool, but God has blessed me with a lot of talent to do things other than football.”

In Colorado, he was as comfortable on stage and in front of cameras. His release may have forced the question earlier than expected, but his confidence in a plan B feels real. “I feel like this is just part of my story to grow and do bigger and better things… Whether it’s finding another team, whether it’s getting another opportunity in the NFL, it is what it is.”

“My time being with the Buccaneers has been nothing but great. The city, my teammates, my coaches, everybody has poured in love and support toward me and I’ll be forever grateful for that.”

If Sanders chooses a career outside of football, history says he is not the first one. Bubba Smith turned a decade of NFL collisions into a Hollywood career, remembered more for ‘Police Academy’ than his Pro Bowl years. Carl Weathers had a brief stint with the Raiders before his iconic roles in ‘Rocky’ and ‘Predator’. Terry Crews spent a couple of seasons bouncing around NFL rosters before his successful acting career. He is best known for his role on ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’. Each proved the helmet doesn’t have to be the last costume an NFL player wears.

Shilo Sanders now sits at the same crossroads. His NFL shot may not be over. But if it is, he is ready to face the worst. For Tampa Bay, the decision to cut him was about roster numbers and discipline. But for Sanders, it might just be the spark of a second act. And in a league where opportunities vanish in an instant, that’s the harsh truth. Sometimes you don’t control when football ends, only what comes next.