ESPN news: Sooners WR committed to Buccaneers.

For the first time since Shepard was Mayfield’s preferred wide receiver on the 2015 Oklahoma Sooners, Baker Mayfield and Sterling Shepard are back together in Tampa Bay. Shepard believes that their friendship set the groundwork for him to accept a contract with the Buccaneers.

Shepard told the New York Post that last week, Mayfield texted him to inquire about his summer exercises. Although Shepard initially took it as a pleasant conversation, it turned out to be the first step toward Shepard joining the Bucs.

We occasionally text each other, so when I received a text from my boy, I assumed it was just a “regular old checking in to see how I was doing,” Shepard said.

Shepard’s agent was working out a deal with the Bucs front office not long after Shepard told Mayfield that he’s healthy and still wants to play. Shepard stated that while joining the Buccaneers is the better option, he would have preferred to end his career with the Giants, where he has participated in all eight of his NFL seasons.

“I’m excited about it,” Shepard remarked. “This scene is brand-new. I’m not upset about it, guy, but I can’t say that’s what I wanted to go through. I’ve always wanted to be a giant. It’s a great situation; they have a talented and excellent football team, plus I get to see my child again and play with him for a little while.

Shepard, who is thirty-one years old and had just ten receptions last season, is unlikely to make the Bucs roster. However, his relationship with his starting quarterback should be advantageous to him.