Tajae Sharpe

Tajaé Lamar Sharpe (born December 23, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Massachusetts and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

Tajaé Sharpe
Sharpe with the Titans in 2019
No. 19 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1994-12-23) December 23, 1994
Newark, New Jersey
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:194 lb (88 kg)
Career information
High school:Piscataway Township
(Piscataway, New Jersey)
College:Massachusetts
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 5 / Pick: 140
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
  • Walter Camp All-American (2015)
  • First-team All-Mid-American Conference (2015)
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Receptions:92
Receiving yards:1,167
Rushing yards:17
Total touchdowns:8
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Sharpe attended Piscataway Township High School in Piscataway, New Jersey and played football and basketball.[1] He was a two-star recruit by Rivals.com and committed to the University of Massachusetts (UMass) to play college football.[2][3]

College career

Sharpe played in 11 games and made eight starts as a freshman at UMass in 2012. He had 20 receptions for 206 yards. Sharpe led the team with 61 receptions for 680 yards and four touchdowns in 2013 and 85 receptions for 1,281 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014.[4][5][6] As a senior in 2015, he broke UMass records for career receptions and receiving yards, finishing the season with 111 receptions for 1,319 yards and five touchdowns.[7][8][9][10] Sharpe majored in communications.[11][12]

College statistics
Tajae Sharpe Receiving Rushing
SeasonTeamGPRECYDSAVGTDATTYDSAVGTD
2012Massachusetts112020610.30----
2013Massachusetts126168011.140000
2014Massachusetts12851,28115.173144.70
2015Massachusetts121111,31911.951-3-3.00
TotalMassachusetts472773,48612.6164112.80

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 194 lb
(88 kg)		 1⁄4 in
(0.01 m)		 3⁄8 in
(0.01 m)		 4.55 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 11 reps
All values from NFL Combine.[13]

Tennessee Titans

Sharpe was selected in the fifth round with the 140th overall pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2016 NFL Draft.[14]

2016 season
See also: 2016 Tennessee Titans season

On May 9, 2016, the Titans signed Sharpe to a four-year, $2.61 million contract with a signing bonus of $274,884.[15][16]

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 16–25 loss with seven receptions for 76 yards. On November 13, 2016, he caught three passes for 68 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on a 33-yard pass from Marcus Mariota in the third quarter as the Titans routed the Green Bay Packers by a score of 47–25. In the next game, he caught four passes for 68 receiving yards and a 34-yard touchdown pass as the Titans lost to the Indianapolis Colts on the road by a score of 24–17.[17] The Titans finished with a 9–7 record from a 3–13 record last season.

Sharpe finished his rookie season with 41 receptions for 522 yards and two touchdowns.[18]

2017 season
See also: 2017 Tennessee Titans season

On September 2, 2017, Sharpe was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury, ending his season before it even started.[19]

2018 season
See also: 2018 Tennessee Titans season
Sharpe in 2018

Sharpe returned from his injury in time for the Titans' season opener against the Miami Dolphins. He recorded one reception for 17 yards in the 27–20 defeat. During Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sharpe scored his first touchdown of the season as the Titans won by a score of 26–23 in overtime. He finished the game with three receptions for 27 yards and a touchdown.[20] In a Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Sharpe matched his single-game career-high in receptions with 7 and also gained a new career-high in receiving yards with 101.[21] During a Week 11 38-10 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Sharpe caught five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.[22] The Titans finished with a third straight 9–7 season.[23]

Sharpe finished the 2018 season with 26 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns.[24] Additionally, 84.6 percent of his receptions earned first downs (22 of 26), which ranked first in the NFL among players with eight or more receptions.

2019 season
See also: 2019 Tennessee Titans season

During Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sharpe caught his first touchdown of the season on a five-yard reception from Ryan Tannehill as the Titans won 23–20.[25] In the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught another touchdown as the Titans won 27–23.[26] Sharpe did not play in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts due to a hamstring injury.[27] During Week 16 against the New Orleans, he caught five passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns during the 38–28 loss.[28] Sharpe finished the regular season with 25 receptions for 329 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in 15 games and six starts.[29]

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, Kansas City Chiefs. He played in all three of the Titans' playoff games, starting the Wild Card game against the New England Patriots and recording a six-yard reception during the Chiefs game.[30][31][32][33]

Minnesota Vikings

On March 25, 2020, Sharpe signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings.[34] He was waived by the Vikings on December 14, 2020.[35]

Kansas City Chiefs

On December 17, 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Sharpe to their practice squad.

NFL statistics
Regular season statistics
Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTDFUMLost
2016TEN 16104152212.734T2111.01000
2017TEN 00Did not play due to injury
2018TEN 16132631612.228211616.016000
2019TEN 1562532913.2474000.00000
Career4629911,15412.74782178.516000
Postseason statistics
Season Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GPGSRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTDFUMLost
2017TEN 00Did not play due to injury
2019TEN 31166.060000.00000
Career31166.060000.00000

Personal life

Sharpe's grandmother, Cozy Little, is a breast cancer survivor who was initially diagnosed in 2001.[36]

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 he told Sharpe he'd 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 he was knocked unconscious for 12 hours, suffered a concussion, and facial fractures from the incident and is suing for $500,000 in damages.[37][38]

References
  1. "Piscataway pipeline to NFL continues with Sharpe's pick in draft". MY CENTRAL JERSEY. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  2. "Tajae Sharpe". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  3. "UMass football freshman WR Tajae Sharpe's 'FBI' the reason he'll see playing time". MassLive. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  4. "Tajae Sharpe receiving a lot of responsibility for UMass". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  5. Malone, Daniel. "UMass wide receiver Tajae Sharpe continues to rack up big numbers in breakout junior season". MassLive. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  6. Connoly, John. "Tajae Sharpe edge at WR benefits Minutemen". Boston Herald. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  7. Malone, Daniel. "UMass vs. Temple: Tajae Sharpe sets new program record for receptions in loss". MassLive. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  8. Notebook: UMass legend Adrian Zullo on hand to see Tajae Sharpe break his receiving record
  9. "UMass receiver Tajae Sharpe lets his feats do the talking". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  10. "2015 FBS (I-A) College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Receiving - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  11. "Tajae Sharpe Titans Biography". TitansOnline.com.
  12. "Tajae Sharpe College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  13. "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Tajae Sharpe". www.nfl.com. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  14. "Tajae Sharpe Draft Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  15. "sportrac.com: Tajae Sharpe contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  16. Wyatt, Jim (May 9, 2016). "Titans agree to terms with six draft picks". TitansOnline.com. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  17. "NFL Player Profile: Tajae Sharpe". NFL.com. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  18. "Tajae Sharpe 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  19. Wyatt, Jim (September 2, 2017). "Titans Down to 53 Players: A Position-by-Position Look". TitansOnline.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018.
  20. Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Win Overtime Thriller Over Eagles, 26-23". Titans Online. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
  21. Bacharach, Erik (October 24, 2018). "Titans' Tajae Sharpe has career day vs. Chargers, but Titans receivers still have work to do". Tennessean.
  22. "Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts - November 18th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  23. "2018 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  24. "Tajae Sharpe 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  25. "Los Angeles Chargers at Tennessee Titans - October 20th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  26. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans - October 27th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  27. "Titans' Tajae Sharpe: Added to injury report". CBSSports.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  28. "Saints chasing NFC's top seed rally to beat Titans 38-28". www.espn.com. Associated Press. December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
  29. "Tajae Sharpe 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  30. "2019 Tennessee Titans Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  31. "Wild Card - Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots - January 4th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  32. "Divisional Round - Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens - January 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  33. "AFC Championship - Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs - January 19th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  34. Herndon, Mike B. (March 25, 2020). "Report: Former Titans WR Tajae Sharpe signing a one year deal with the Vikings". MusicCityMiracles.com.
  35. "Vikings Activate TE Hale Hentges from Exempt; Announce Roster Moves". Vikings.com. December 14, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  36. Glennon, John. "Why rookie Tajae Sharpe's grandmother is the 12th Titan". The Tennessean. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  37. Grunik, Katie (May 10, 2017). "Titans players sued for $500K, accused of beating man up over draft results". Fox17.com. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  38. Barchenger, Stacey (May 9, 2017). "Tajae Sharpe, Titan's teammate, accused of assaulting Nashville man". Tennessean.com. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
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