In a move that reunites him with his former Oklahoma teammate Baker Mayfield, veteran wide receiver Sterling Shepard has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a one-year deal.
Sterling Shepard, 31, was a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft out of Oklahoma. He spent his entire NFL career with the New York Giants up to this point, tallying 372 receptions for 4,095 yards and 23 touchdowns in 90 regular-season games. His most productive seasons with the Giants came in his first three years. As a rookie in 2016, Shepard caught 683 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Then, in 11 games in 2017, he recorded 731 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In 2018, he had a career-best 872 receiving yards with four touchdowns.
The signing comes after Shepard expressed uncertainty regarding his NFL outlook after the 2023 season. He stated he’d need a dream scenario to convince him to give it another go. His move to Tampa Bay appears to be that dream scenario, reuniting him with Mayfield and providing an opportunity to contribute to a team that finished 9-8 and earned a win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round last season.
Shepard’s addition to the Buccaneers’ roster provides additional experience for their pass-catching group. He joins a wide receiver room that includes newly re-signed Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and second-year wideout Trey Palmer. The move also provides stability for Shepard, who has struggled with injuries throughout his career. He tore his left Achilles in 2021 and left ACL in 2022, returning for 15 games last year and managing 57 receiving yards and a touchdown.
The reunion between Shepard and Mayfield comes eight years after their successful collegiate season at Oklahoma in 2015. During that season, Shepard caught 86 receptions for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns, making him a second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Mayfield’s efficient 2023 season earned him a contract extension, but he remains hungry to lead the Buccaneers.
The amount of money in the deal for Sterling Shepard’s contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was disclosed in several sources as a one-year veteran salary benefit (VSB) contract, which includes:
– A base salary of $1.21 million
– A maximum bonus of $167,500
– A cap hit of $985,000, due to the VSB contract’s rules
