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NFL Rumors: Sterling Shepard Agrees to Bucs Contract, Reunites with Baker Mayfield
After spending the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the New York Giants, Sterling Shepard is on the move.
Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Shepard has agreed to a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reuniting him with his former Oklahoma quarterback, Baker Mayfield.
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Like many people on the 2023 Giants offense, Shepard found it hard to get going. He finished with career lows in targets (22), receptions (10) and receiving yards (57).
A second-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2016 draft, Shepard was a reliable presence in the passing game for the first five years of his career. He averaged 62.6 receptions, 703.6 receiving yards and four touchdowns per season from 2016 to '20.
Shepard suffered a torn Achilles late in the 2021 season and a torn ACL in Week 3 of the 2022 campaign. There have been studies that suggest it can take closer to two years before athletes should return to their sport following an ACL tear.
The combination of returning from a knee injury and a Giants offense that was out of sorts from the start of the season severely impacted his ability to be a productive player.
Odell Beckham Jr. sat out the entire 2022 season after tearing his ACL in Super Bowl 56. He returned this year with the Baltimore Ravens and had a solid campaign with 565 yards and a career-high 16.1 yards per reception in 14 games.
Shepard wasn't the same caliber of player that Beckham was when both players were in their prime, but he's a good athlete who has had success in his career.
The Buccaneers are making a buy-low move for Shepard that could pay off nicely if he looks more comfortable two years removed from his knee injury. He should at least be a solid rotation receiver for them in 2024 behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
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