Shannon Sharpe is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, winning three Super Bowls and being named a first-team All-Pro four times. The Hall of Famer spent 14 seasons in the NFL, 12 of those with the Denver Broncos.
He has since become a popular media personality, often taking controversial stances and engaging in heated debates with co-hosts like Skip Bayless, Stephen A. Smith and Chad Johnson.
How Shannon Sharpe Turned a $22K Guarantee Into an NFL Hall of Fame Career
Sharpe was largely overlooked coming out of college, having played Division II football at Savannah State. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL Draft, joining John Elway and the Broncos.
As a seventh-round pick, Sharpe’s rookie contract was a two-year, $258,500 deal. He was only guaranteed $22,500, but he made the roster and held his spot through his first two seasons.
Sharpe hadn’t had a breakout year yet, totaling 322 receiving yards and one touchdown in his second season. The Broncos still gave him another two-year extension, this time a $1.1 million deal, and he made the switch from wide receiver to tight end.
Over the next two seasons, his performance started to build. In his fourth season, Sharpe truly broke out. The move to tight end had paid off.
The Hall of Famer posted career highs across the board with 81 catches, 995 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He was out of contract at the end of that season, which forced the Broncos to give him another new deal.
Sharpe signed two three-year deals in the ’90s. His first, in 1994, was worth $3.65 million. His second, in 1997, came in at $7.5 million. By then, he was one of the most successful and highest-paid tight ends in the NFL.
He posted three 1,000-yard seasons between 1994 and 1997 and helped the Broncos win a Super Bowl in the 1997 season.
Sharpe moved on from Denver in 2000 after winning back-to-back Super Bowls with Elway and company. He signed a four-year, $13.8 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens and helped them win a Super Bowl in his first season with the team.
After two years in Baltimore, Sharpe returned to Denver and signed a surprising seven-year contract in 2002. The deal was valued at $16.1 million, keeping him under contract through 2009.
But he only played out the first two years of that deal before retiring at the end of the 2003 season. He was 35 years old and worn down by the physical toll of the game.
Sharpe is a top-five all-time tight end with 10,062 receiving yards and 62 touchdowns. He’s one of the most decorated players to ever play the position, with three Super Bowl rings, five All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl nods.
Sharpe’s Post-NFL Journey: From ‘Undisputed’ Exit to ‘Club Shay Shay’ Fame
Per Spotrac, Sharpe made $22.3 million during his 14 NFL seasons. According to multiple sources, his net worth is either $14 million or $30 million.
Sharpe has been a regular TV personality since retiring. He worked on various TV and radio shows before teaming up with Skip Bayless on FS1’s “Skip and Shannon: Undisputed.” After leaving that show following a rocky relationship with Bayless, Sharpe joined Colin Cowherd’s The Volume podcast network and launched “Club Shay Shay.”
Since then, his shows have blown up, including “Nightcap,” which he co-hosts with Johnson.
