Sterling Shepard was the last player added to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' roster before the team started training camp last summer, signing with the team about two weeks into June. When the regular season began, Shepard wasn't even on the active roster, taking up a veteran exception spot on the Buccaneers' practice squad. Yet he would end up playing the third most offensive snaps of any of the team's wideouts, and for a majority of the campaign he was the primary third receiver, along with either Mike Evans and Chris Godwin or, later, Evans and rookie Jalen McMillan.
The Bucs decision to add one more veteran to the group of receivers they were bringing to training camp, and then targeting former Shepard, the former New York Giant, definitely came with the blessing of quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield and Shepard were previously teammates at the University of Oklahoma, and Shepard's one year catching pass from Mayfield was the most productive of his career. Shepard's 86 catches for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns that season helped him land in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, where he was taken 40th overall by the Giants.
The idea that Mayfield and Shepard would be able to find an easy comfort level with each in the Bucs' pass game upon their reunion did indeed bear fruit. The Bucs needed contributions from multiple players following the loss of Godwin to an ankle injury in Week Seven, and Shepard was able to absorb some of the end-arounds, screens and other routes that Godwin excelled in from the slot. He also brought an infectious energy to the offensive unit.
Shepard mostly avoided the injuries that had plagued him during his last three seasons with the Giants and proved he could still be a productive pass-catcher in the NFL in his early thirties. After proving his value in his first season with the Buccaneers, he could come back to continue a mutually-beneficial relationship with Mayfield, or he could test the free agent waters to see what opportunities are out there for him.
Shepard is one of 22 players from the Bucs' 2024 roster who are on pace to become unrestricted free agents if they don't get a new deal done before the start of the 2025 league year in March. Some of the players we'll examine between now and March 12 could get a new deal to stay in Tampa before that date. It's likely some of them will not be back, or will at least see what's available in free agency. This is the full schedule of our 2025 Free Agent Focus rundown:
February 12: WR Chris Godwin
February 14: QB Kyle Trask
February 19: OLB Anthony Nelson
February 26: C Robert Hainsey
February 28: WR Sterling Shepard
March 3: OLB Shaquil Barrett
March 4: LB Lavonte David
March 5: G Ben Bredeson
March 6: OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
March 7: LB Lavonte David
This list is subject to change based on potential roster moves in the coming weeks. Today we look at a veteran pass-catcher who has a strong relationship with the team's starting quarterback.
Player: Sterling Shepard
Position: Wide Receiver
Age at the Start of the 2024 Season: 32
Experience: Entering 10th NFL season
How Acquired: Signed as a free agent on June 10 in 2024, agreeing to a one-year contract. Began the regular season on the Buccaneers' practice squad but was promoted to the active roster on October 1.
Previous Contract(s): As a second-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 2016, Shepard signed the standard four-year contract given to players taken in rounds two through seven. In 2019, during the final year of that deal, he signed an extension that added four more seasons to the contract, running through the 2023 campaign. In 2023, he and the Giants agreed on a restructured one-year pact.
Rank in Pro Football Focus Top 100 NFL Free Agents for 2025: Not ranked.
2024 Performance: Shepard played in 14 games and made five starts in his first season with the Buccaneers. Two of those 14 games occurred while he was still on the Bucs' practice squad, as he was elevated for contests against Denver and Philadelphia in Weeks Three and Four. He was then signed to the active roster at the beginning of October and went on to appear in 12 of the remaining 13 contests, plus the playoff game against Washington. Shepard missed the Week 17 game against Carolina due to hamstring and foot ailments.
Shepard finished the regular season with 32 catches for 324 yards and a touchdown, and added eight carries for 69 yards. He did not record a catch in the playoff game. He recorded a season-high five receptions against his former team, the Giants, in a Week 12 win and had a season-best 63 yards on four grabs in a win over Las Vegas in Week 14. His lone touchdown catch came in Week Five at Atlanta, as he caught a four-yard pass shortly before halftime that gave the Bucs a 24-17 lead in an eventual 36-30 overtime loss.
Career Accomplishments: Shepard ranks fifth in Giants history with 372 receptions, which produced 4,095 yards and 23 touchdowns over eight seasons in New York. With his production from 2024 included, Shepard has played in 104 games with 79 starts and has amassed 404 catches for 4,429 yards and 24 scores. He has also run 32 times for 255 yards and one touchdown.
Shepard was a very consistent force in the Giants' offense during his first five seasons, finishing each one with between 57 and 66 catches and between 576 and 872 yards. He had 65 catches as a rookie and then posted career highs of 66 in both 2018 and 2020. His eight touchdown receptions in his debut season remain a career high, while his 872 yards in 2018 are a personal best.
Injuries caused Shepard to miss 27 games over his last three seasons with the Giants, limiting him to 59 catches and three touchdowns over that span.
Other Potential Free Agent Wide Receivers: Tee Higgins (Bengals), Chris Godwin (Buccaneers), Amari Cooper (Bills), Stefon Diggs (Texans), DeAndre Hopkins (Chiefs), Marquise Brown (Chiefs), Darius Slayton (Giants), Keenan Allen (Bears), Diontae Johnson (Ravens), Mike Williams (Steelers), Brandin Cooks (Cowboys), Robert Woods (Texans), Demarcus Robinson (Rams), K.J. Osborn (Commanders)
Top Wide Receiver Prospects in 2025 NFL Draft: Travis Hunter (Colorado), Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona), Luther Burden (Missouri), Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State), Matthew Golden (Texas), Jack Bech (TCU), Elic Ayomanor (Stanford), Xavier Restrepo (Miami), Savion Williams (TCU), Jayden Higgins (Iowa State), Jalen Royals (Utah State), Isaiah Bond (Texas), Tez Johnson (Oregon), Tre Harris (Mississippi), Jaylin Noel (Iowa State), Tai Felton (Maryland), Troy Horton (Colorado State), Kyren Lacy (LSU), Pat Bryant (Illinois)
