Tajae Sharpe

Tajaé Lamar Sharpe (born December 23, 1994) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UMass Minutemen, earning second-team All-American honors in 2015. Sharpe was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers.

Early life Sharpe attended Piscataway Township High School in Piscataway, New Jersey and played football and basketball. He was a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and committed to the University of Massachusetts (UMass) to play college football.

College career As a freshman in 2012, Sharpe had 20 receptions for 206 yards in 11 games and eight starts.

As a sophomore in 2013, Sharpe led the team with 61 receptions for 680 yards and four touchdowns.

As a junior in 2014, Sharpe once again led the team with 85 receptions for 1,281 yards and seven touchdowns.

As a senior in 2015, Sharpe broke UMass records for career receptions and receiving yards, finishing the season with 111 receptions for 1,319 yards and five touchdowns.

Sharpe majored in communications.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans 2016 season

Sharpe was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round (140th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft. On May 9, 2016, he signed a four-year, $2.61 million contract with a signing bonus of $274,884.

Throughout training camp, Sharpe competed with Andre Johnson, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Kendall Wright for a starting wide receiver position. He was named one of the starting wide receivers, opposite Rishard Matthews, going into the regular season.

Sharpe made his NFL debut and first NFL start in the season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings. He finished the 25–16 loss with seven receptions for 76 yards. During a Week 10 47–25 victory over the Green Bay Packers, Sharpe caught three passes for 68 yards and his first NFL touchdown on a 33-yard reception from Marcus Mariota in the third quarter. In the next game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sharpe had four receptions for 68 yards and a 34-yard touchdown pass during the 24–17 road loss.

Sharpe finished his rookie year with 41 receptions for 522 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and 10 starts. The Titans tripled their win total from the previous year, finishing with a 9–7 record, but did not qualify for the playoffs.

2017 season

On September 2, 2017, Sharpe was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, ending his season before it even started. Without Sharpe, the Titans finished with a 9–7 record and qualified for the playoffs. However, their season ended after they lost on the road to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.

2018 season

Sharpe returned from his injury in time for the Titans' season-opening 27–20 road loss to the Miami Dolphins, recording a 17-yard reception. Three weeks later against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sharpe had three receptions for 27 yards and his first touchdown of the season in the 26–23 overtime victory.

During a narrow Week 7 20–19 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in London, Sharpe matched his single-game career-high in receptions with seven and also gained a new career-high in receiving yards with 101. During Week 11 against the Colts, Sharpe caught five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown in the 38–10 road loss.

Sharpe finished the 2018 season with 26 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and 13 starts. The Titans finished with a third straight 9–7 season and did not qualify for the playoffs.

2019 season

During a Week 7 23–20 victory over the Chargers, Sharpe recorded two receptions for 19 yards and his first touchdown of the season on a five-yard pass from Ryan Tannehill. In the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sharpe caught three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown during the 27–23 victory. He did not play in Week 13 against the Colts due to a hamstring injury. During Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints, Sharpe had five receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns in the 38–28 loss.

Sharpe finished the 2019 season with 25 receptions for 329 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in 15 games and six starts. The Titans finished with a fourth straight 9–7 season, qualifying for the playoffs and advancing to the AFC Championship Game where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. Sharpe played in all three postseason games, recording a six-yard reception during the Wild Card Round against the Patriots and starting in the AFC Championship Game.

Minnesota Vikings On March 25, 2020, Sharpe signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings. He was waived on December 14.

Kansas City Chiefs On December 22, 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Sharpe to their practice squad. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on February 16, 2021.

Sharpe re-signed with the Chiefs on April 9, 2021. However, he was waived on May 17.

Atlanta Falcons On May 24, 2021, Sharpe signed with the Atlanta Falcons. He played in 15 games with seven starts, recording 25 receptions for 230 yards.

Chicago Bears On May 12, 2022, Sharpe signed with the Chicago Bears. After head coach Matt Eberflus announced that Sharpe would miss the entire 2022 season with a rib injury, he was placed on injured reserve on August 31. Sharpe was released nine days later.

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers hosted Sharpe for a workout on October 31, 2022. He was signed to their practice squad exactly a week later. Sharpe was released on November 23. Career statistics NFL Regular season Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2016 TEN 16 10 41 522 12.7 34 2 1 1 1.0 1 0 0 0 2017 TEN 0 0 Did not play due to injury 2018 TEN 16 13 26 316 12.2 28 2 1 16 16.0 16 0 0 0 2019 TEN 15 6 25 329 13.2 47 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2020 MIN 4 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 2021 ATL 15 7 25 230 9.2 17 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 66 36 117 1,397 11.9 47 8 2 17 8.5 16 0 0 0

Postseason Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2017 TEN 0 0 Did not play due to injury 2019 TEN 3 1 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 3 1 1 6 6.0 6 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

College Legend Led the NCAA Bold Career high

Season Team GP Receiving Rushing Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD 2012 UMass 11 20 206 10.3 0 0 0 0.0 0 2013 UMass 12 61 680 11.1 4 0 0 0.0 0 2014 UMass 12 85 1,281 15.1 7 3 14 4.7 0 2015 UMass 12111 1,319 11.9 5 1 -3 -3.0 0 Career 47 277 3,486 12.6 16 4 11 2.8 0

Personal life Sharpe's grandmother, Cozy Little, is a breast cancer survivor who was initially diagnosed in 2001.

Sharpe also has a rap career, under the name Show. As of June 6, 2021, he has released four full-length studio albums; First Quarter, released in 2019, Credentials and Delay of Game, both released in 2020, and Overtime, released in 2021.

Legal issues On May 10, 2017, Sharpe and teammate Sebastian Tretola were named as defendants in a federal civil lawsuit that alleges the teammates were at a Nashville bar watching the 2017 NFL draft. Dante R. Satterfield, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, claims that he told Sharpe he would probably lose playing time as a result of the Titans selecting wide receiver Corey Davis in the first round. The report alleges Sharpe responded by challenging him to a fight in a back alley and was accompanied by Tretola as a lookout. Satterfield claims that he was knocked unconscious for 12 hours and suffered both a concussion and facial fractures from the incident, and is suing for $500,000 in damages as a result.