TAMPA, Fla. — After waiving receiver Deven Thompkins on May 30, the Bucs needed to add more depth at the wide receiver position. Knowing this, quarterback Baker Mayfield saw it as a chance to bring in someone he is familiar with —9-year veteran Sterling Shepard, who was Mayfield's college teammate.
However, he had to ensure he was available, so he sent a text message.
Shepard left him on read for a while, but he eventually responded and confirmed that he was willing to play one more season in the NFL.
"I was just checking on him. I didn't know they were going to pull the trigger on a tryout the next day," Mayfield said after Wednesday's mandatory minicamp practice.
After flying to Tampa for a workout, the Bucs signed Shepard to a one-year deal on Monday, reuniting him with his college quarterback.
Shepard and Mayfield only played together for one season at Oklahoma but were a dynamic duo. They connected on 86 passes for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2015.
"I loved playing with him in college," Shepard said. "He's a guy that has a lot of energy...energy that you can feed off of."
Since entering the NFL as a second-round draft pick by the New York Giants, Shepard has 4,095 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns. However, he's only scored once in each of the last three seasons as he's battled injuries. He tore his Achilles in 2021 and his ACL in 2022.
Now he's fully recovered and hoping to be a reliable target for Mayfield, just like in college.
"A guy that you can bounce around and help Mike and Chris out...just kind of mixing things up and giving defenses, hopefully, a headache," he said.
The Bucs wrap up the mandatory minicamp on Thursday morning. The team will then be on break until training camp begins.
