Sterling Shepard is joining the New York Jets’ practice squad, returning to the New York area after two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The move brings the 33-year-old receiver to the Jets rather than the Giants, the team that selected him in the 2016 NFL Draft.
The Jets added Shepard after Omar Cooper Jr. suffered an injury during the team’s season-opening victory over the Tennessee Titans. Cooper, one of New York’s three first-round selections in 2026, is expected to miss some time. The team also worked out several receivers, including JuJu Smith-Schuster, before signing Shepard.
Shepard spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Giants after being chosen 40th overall. During that period, he appeared in 90 regular-season games and recorded 372 receptions, 4,095 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns. New York gave him a four-year contract extension valued at $41 million before the 2019 season.
He played the past two seasons in Tampa Bay. Over that span, Shepard made 71 catches and totaled more than 700 receiving yards, according to the reports cited in the story. His 2025 totals were 39 receptions and 371 yards.
The Buccaneers also paid Shepard $500,000 in additional bonuses for the 2025 season, despite him falling short of several individual incentive thresholds. The payments included bonuses connected to reception and receiving-yard marks, according to the report, which said the team issued the money as recognition of his work while other Tampa Bay receivers were injured.
