TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield not solely had a hand in Sterling Shepard signing with the Bucs — he noticed himself in his former Oklahoma teammate, who’d been considering retirement at age 31 after eight seasons with the New York Giants and never re-signing.
“Clearly … we’re down on [wide] receivers and we wanted some guys to come back in and step up,” Mayfield stated Wednesday. “He is a veteran man that is going into 12 months 9. He is had some accidents previously, however he is in search of a contemporary begin and clearly I can relate to that half.”
The Bucs had been Mayfield’s third group after the Cleveland Browns traded away the 2018 No. 1 draft decide in July 2022, they usually rewarded him with a three-year contract price $100 million ($115 million in the event you depend incentives) this offseason after turning his profession round. Maybe Shepard might reignite his profession there too, following a torn ACL in 2022 and a torn Achilles in 2021.
Mayfield phoned Shepard to inquire about his availability after studying Deven Thompkins was waived with an damage designation and that Trey Palmer would miss necessary minicamp because of an undisclosed damage.
“He is an unbelievable man, unbelievable teammate, by way of his work ethic,” Mayfield stated. “Clearly, he isn’t the most important man however he works to have the ability to compete at this stage. He isn’t a egocentric man — it is by no means been about him.”
Shepard joked that he spent the final month and a half to 2 months in “straight dad mode,” taking the children to highschool and “attempting to determine the subsequent steps.” He hadn’t run any routes however was nonetheless sprinting and lifting and maintained his season-ending weight of 190 kilos.
Mayfield urged him to contact his agent, who known as the Bucs 5 minutes later. They requested, “May he are available in for a tryout tomorrow?” Whereas Shepard jumped on the alternative to reunite along with his former teammate, there was only one downside.
“It was leg day,” Shepard stated with amusing. “That was the loopy half. I put 415 [pounds] on the bar that day. I used to be like, ‘Why did I determine to try this?'”
Nonetheless, he boarded a aircraft for Tampa and carried out nicely sufficient within the tryout to earn a spot on the group.
Mayfield joked concerning the squat weight.
“He most likely lied about that,” Mayfield stated. “I did not know they had been going to drag the set off on a tryout the subsequent day. I had no thought. However…as soon as they bought him in, he did the remainder. He is a ok participant to make it right here. However bringing in competitors like that is all the time good for everyone. He is aware of he is gotta deal with his enterprise simply to make this group. We bought a very good group, and simply having higher talent teams is gonna push all people round him.”
Palmer is predicted to be wholesome for coaching camp. The Bucs additionally drafted Jalen McMillan within the third spherical of this 12 months’s NFL draft, and Rakim Jarrett, an undrafted free agent final season, had a pair spectacular moments in minicamp. However there is a drop-off in expertise after Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, which is the place Shepard might help. Plus, Mayfield believes his persona will mesh nicely with their locker room.
“He is a man that is all the time bought a smile on his face,” Mayfield stated. “He works his tail off and he brings somewhat juice in terms of the psychological aspect of issues. He will get fired up. It is good to have him again. Considered one of my longtime buddies, so it is good to have him again.”
Shepard known as Mayfield the “final competitor” with the kind of vitality you “feed off of,” and he is thrilled for Mayfield’s profession revival in Tampa.
“He all the time performs with that chip on his shoulder as a result of issues did not work out different locations,” Shepard stated. “However I am tremendous glad that he is right here and he has a house and he is trying ahead to the season beginning. … I am simply blessed to be right here and blessed be again with my boy.”