Tajae Sharpe

Tajaé Lamar Sharpe (born December 23, 1994) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football for the UMass Minutemen, earning second-team All-American honors in 2015. Sharpe was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.

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
In 2012, Sharpe had 20 receptions for 206 yards in 11 games and made eight starts as a freshman at UMass.

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, 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.

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

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 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 as the Titans lost on the road by a score of 24–17. The Titans tripled their win total from the previous year, finishing with a 9–7 record, but did not qualify for the playoffs.

Sharpe finished his rookie season with 41 receptions for 522 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and 10 starts.

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 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 as the Titans won by a score of 26–23 in overtime. 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 a Week 11 38–10 road loss to the Colts, Sharpe caught five passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.

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 had 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 recorded three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown as the Titans won by a score of 27–23. He did not play in Week 13 against the Colts due to a hamstring injury. During a Week 16 38–28 loss against the New Orleans Saints, Sharpe had five receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns.

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 of the Titans' playoff games, starting in the Wild Card Round against the Patriots and recording a six-yard reception during 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, 2020.

Kansas City Chiefs
On December 22, 2020, the 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, 2021.

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 whole 2022 season with a rib injury, he was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2022. Sharpe was released on September 9, 2022.

San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers hosted Sharpe for a workout on October 31, 2022. He was signed to their practice squad on November 7, 2022. Sharpe was released on November 23, 2022.

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, Sharpe 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 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.