Tajae Sharpe


Tajaé Lamar Sharpe is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League. He played college football at UMass and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.

Early years

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 to play college football.

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. 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. Sharpe majored in communications.

College statistics


Professional career

Tennessee Titans

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

2016 season: Rookie year

On May 9, 2016, the Titans signed Sharpe to 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 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. 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.

2017 season

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

2018 season

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. 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. During a Week 11 38-10 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Sharpe caught five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. The Titans finished with a third straight 9-7 season.
Sharpe finished the 2018 season with 26 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, 84.6 percent of his receptions earned first downs, which ranked first in the NFL among players with eight or more receptions.

2019 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. In the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he caught another touchdown as the Titans won 27-23. Sharpe did not play in Week 13 against the Indianapolis Colts due to a hamstring injury. During Week 16 against the New Orleans, he caught five passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns during the 38–28 loss. Sharpe finished the regular 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, 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.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 25, 2020, Sharpe signed a one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings.

NFL statistics

Regular season

Postseason

Personal life

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

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 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.