Bucs Re-Sign Veteran Wide Receiver Sterling Shepard
After contributing in a depth role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024, wide receiver Sterling Shepard will return for the 2025 season on a one-year deal. General manager Jason Licht made the announcement on Friday afternoon.
Shepard, who played with quarterback Baker Mayfield at Oklahoma, had a standout 2015 season with 86 receptions, 1,289 yards, and 11 touchdowns. Mayfield, during that season, threw for 3,699 yards and 36 touchdowns.
Drafted in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, Shepard spent eight years with the team before moving on last season. Mayfield, who played two more years at Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy, was selected first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
Shepard Reunites with Baker Mayfield
The Buccaneers reached out to Shepard last offseason, as it seemed he might be considering stepping away from football. However, after discovering Shepard was still in top physical form, the team added him to their practice squad as a depth option, bolstering a receiving corps that lacked experience beyond their top two receivers.
Shepard shared his thoughts with NFL insider Josina Anderson at the time: “It’s hard not to smile right now. I wasn’t expecting this. Three days ago, Baker texted me asking, ‘How does your body feel?’ I said, ‘I feel great. How’s the baby?’ Baker responded, ‘The baby is good.’”
He continued, “Then Baker asked me, ‘Man, you think you got one more in you?’ I said, ‘It just has to be right with everything I’ve got going on with my family because I’ve already turned down other opportunities. But I’ve been thinking about it when I run outside every day and lift.’”
In the 2024 season, Shepard played in 15 games, including the playoffs, and caught 32 passes for 334 yards and one touchdown. He finished the season with the third-most routes run among the Bucs’ receivers.
Though rookie Jalen McMillan took time to develop as a reliable option later in the season, Shepard remained a steady route runner that Mayfield and the offense could depend on. Shepard’s best stretch came between Weeks 13 and 14, where he caught eight of 13 targets for 105 yards and averaged 2.1 yards per route run.
At this stage in his career, Shepard is best seen as a solid depth option. With McMillan’s improvement, Mike Evans continuing to defy age, and Chris Godwin returning, the Bucs’ starting receiving lineup for 2025 is already set.
Currently, Shepard will compete with Trey Palmer, Rakim Jarrett, and Kameron Johnson for a spot at the bottom of the Bucs’ depth chart, and his place on the roster is not guaranteed, especially if the team drafts another young receiver in 2025.
Over the course of his career, Shepard has accumulated 404 receptions, 4,429 yards, and 24 touchdowns, averaging 11.0 yards per catch.
