Shannon Sharpe

Shannon Sharpe, a former American tight end, played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, mostly with the Denver Broncos. He was born on June 26, 1968. He comes in third place in tight end receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns and is regarded as one of the finest tight ends of all time. Additionally, he was the first tight end in the NFL with more than 10,000 receiving yards. After his retirement, Sharpe who took over for Deion Sanders and co-hosted The NFL Today with James Brown (previously of Fox NFL Sunday), former NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason, former coach Bill Cowher, and others, as a commentator for the CBS Sports pregame show ‘The NFL Today’.

Shannon Sharpe’s Early Life and Background

Shannon Sharpe was born an Illinoisian on the 26th of June 1968. He had a difficult childhood while growing up due to his parent’s divorce and the subsequent loss of his father to lung cancer at the young age of 8 years. Sharpe grew up in Glennville, Georgia, where he attended Glenville High School and was an all-state performer in three sports- football, basketball and track, and field. Sharpe is the younger brother of former NFL sensation wide receiver Sterling Sharpe.

After school, Sharpe chose to play in-state college football for the Savannah State Tigers. Between 1987 and 1989, Sharpe was chosen three times for the All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team and was named SIAC Player of the Year in 1987. In 1989, he was also chosen as a Division II All-American by Kodak. In 1988 and 1989, he guided the Tigers' football squad to their greatest records (7-3) and (8-1). Sharpe caught 61 catches for 1,312 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior, including more than 200 yards three times. Sharpe had 192 receptions for 3,744 yards and 40 touchdowns at the end of his college career. Inducted in 2009 into the Division II Football Hall of Fame, the Savannah State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2013, he also received three other honors.

Who Drafted Shannon Sharpe?

Sharpe had an outstanding collegiate career, but he was not a highly regarded prospect in the 1990 NFL Draft. He was a Division II college football player who was also too big for a tight end and too tiny for a receiver (6'2", 230 pounds). The Denver Broncos eventually selected him as the 192nd overall pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.

Shannon Sharpe’s NFL Journey

He had little opportunity to play for the first two seasons of his NFL career, hauling in just 29 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver. In his third season, the Broncos switched him to tight end, where he led the team in receiving with 53 catches for 640 yards and his first of eight Pro Bowl nominations. He was a member of the All-Pro team with his older brother Sterling by 1993. The younger Sharpe would soon forge his own path, eventually taking the receiving lead six times for the Denver Broncos and once for the Baltimore Ravens. In 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998, he was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s and first-team All-Pro in the AFC. Shannon played for 9 seasons with the Broncos and was much acclaimed for his achievements as a tight end footballer. Later, he went to Baltimore Ravens for a few years and then returned to Denver Broncos, to end his career in 2003.

Shannon Sharpe’s Teams

Denver Broncos (1990-1999 and 2002-2003)

It was during his 9 seasons playing for the Broncos that Sharpe’s career took off as a tight end footballer. He had started playing as a wide receiver. After an uneventful couple of seasons, the club switched his playing position to the tight end. This move was instrumental in Sharpe’s overall NFL successes. While playing for the Broncos Sharpe claimed that the Broncos never extended him a contract offer during the 1999 campaign. He got a better offer from the Baltimore Ravens. He spent his 12 non-consecutive seasons with Denver, where he was chosen for four first-team All-Pro teams, seven consecutive Pro Bowls, and two Super Bowl championships.

Baltimore Ravens (2000-2001)

He caught a short pass on third down and 18 from his own four-yard line in the Ravens' 16-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders in the 2000 AFC championship game. It was the only touchdown the Ravens scored in that game. This will still stand as the Ravens' longest offensive play ever as of 2022. Sharpe also pulled in a pass of at least 50 yards in each of their previous two playoff games. Sharpe played for the Baltimore Ravens for two seasons, during which time he was selected for his eighth Pro Bowl and captured a third Super Bowl victory.

Shannon Sharpe Awards and Honors

Awards

Shannon Sharpe NFL Records

• Most receiving yards in a game by a tight end (214)

Shannon Sharpe's Net Worth

Shannon Sharpe has a net worth of $14 million. Shannon Sharpe signed two contracts during his first ten years in the NFL while playing for the Denver Broncos: the first was a three-year, $3.6 million agreement in 1994, and the second was a three-year, $7.5 million agreement in 1997. Sharpe received a $13.8 million, 4-year deal when he joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. His total earnings during his NFL career are believed to be $44,000,000 overall. Shannon Sharpe continued to commentate on the NFL for CBS Sports after his NFL career ended in 2014. Sharpe and Skip Bayless agreed to host Skip and Shannon: Undisputed for Fox Sports in 2016. Sharpe's busy post-NFL career keeps him in the spotlight of the sports world and increases his wealth as a result.

Read More: Shannon Sharpe’s Net Worth (Updated 2022)

Shannon Sharpe Family

Shannon Sharpe was born to parents Pete Sharpe and Mary Allen Dixon. The couple got divorced when Sharpe was only 3 months old. He was very close to his grandmother who passed away in 2016. He has an elder brother and a sister. Sharpe’s brother Sterling Sharpe is a former NFL wide receiver and five-time all-pro receiver who played for the Green Bay Packers.

Sharpe is the father to three children from different past relationships. His two daughters are named Kayla and Kaley and he has a son called Kiari.

Shannon Sharpe Girlfriend

Sharpe had a romantic relationship with Nicole Murphy, a fashion model, in 2017. He became engaged to fitness instructor Katy Kellner later that year, but the two soon broke up. Prior to that, he was rumored to be with Michele Bundy, who accused Sharpe of sexual assault in 2010. There is no definite information on his present romantic endeavors.