Sharpe played college football for the Savannah State Tigers and was selected by the Broncos in the seventh round of the 1990 NFL draft. During his 12 non-consecutive seasons with Denver, he was selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pros, and won two consecutive Super Bowl titles. In between his Broncos tenures, Sharpe was a member of Baltimore Ravens for two seasons, with whom he received an eighth Pro Bowl selection and won a third Super Bowl title. Sharpe retired as the NFL leader in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns by a tight end. Following his retirement, Sharpe appeared as an analyst for The NFL Today on CBS Sports and co-hosted Skip and Shannon: Undisputed on Fox Sports 1 with Skip Bayless from 2016 to 2023. In the 2020s, Sharpe also became a prominent figure in the sports podcast space, hosting Club Shay Shay and Nightcap.
Despite his stellar college career, Sharpe was not considered a highly rated prospect in the 1990 NFL draft. In addition to playing Division II college football, Sharpe's size—6 ft 2 inches, 230 pounds—was considered too large for a receiver and too small for a tight end. He was eventually selected in the seventh round with the 192nd pick by the Denver Broncos. After two mediocre seasons as a receiver in which he caught just 29 passes, Denver converted him to a tight end. This quickly paid off, as Sharpe caught 53 passes in his third season. He remained with Denver until 1999, winning two championship rings at Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII in the process. After a two-year stint with the Baltimore Ravens, where he won another championship ring at Super Bowl XXXV, he returned to the Broncos. He played there until 2003. From there, he retired to become an NFL analyst for CBS.
Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens' general manager, said of Sharpe during his career: "I think he's a threat when he's on the field. He has to be double-teamed. He's a great route-runner. He's proven that he can make the big plays. That's what separates him. He's a threat." Sharpe was selected to the All-Pro Team four times, played in eight Pro Bowls (1992–1998, 2001) and amassed over 1,000 receiving yards in three different seasons. In a 1993 playoff game against the Los Angeles Raiders, Sharpe tied a postseason record with 13 receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown. In the Ravens' 2000 AFC title game against the Oakland Raiders, he caught a short pass on third down and 18 from his own four-yard line and took it 96 yards for a touchdown, the only touchdown the Ravens scored, en route to a 16–3 Ravens win; as of 2025, this remains the Ravens' longest offensive play in team history. Sharpe also caught a 50 plus yard pass in each of their other two playoff games. He finished his 14-year career with 815 receptions for 10,060 yards and 62 touchdowns in 203 games.
Sharpe was among the 17 finalists being considered for enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009. However, he was passed over in his first year in a class that included Bruce Smith, Ralph Wilson, Derrick Thomas and Rod Woodson.
Sharpe was a commentator for the CBS Sports pregame show The NFL Today, including the Sprint Halftime Report and the Subway Postgame Show, replacing Deion Sanders and co-hosting with James Brown (formerly with Fox NFL Sunday), former NFL quarterbacks Dan Marino and Boomer Esiason, as well as former coach Bill Cowher. In the 2004 NFL regular season, Sharpe defeated Marino and Esiason in the pick 'em game of The NFL Today with a 53–21 record. On February 18, 2014, it was announced that Sharpe, along with Dan Marino, were being relieved of their duties as on-air commentators on The NFL Today and were being replaced by Tony Gonzalez and Bart Scott.
In 2013, Sharpe became a columnist and spokesperson for FitnessRX For Men magazine and appeared on their September 2013 cover.[citation needed] Sharpe has hosted Sirius NFL Radio's Opening Drive morning program, alongside Bob Papa.
After his retirement, Sharpe has been a social media staple, going viral for his antics and sports commentary. He is also notably a huge supporter of NBA player LeBron James, referring to him as the greatest basketball player in NBA history. He also appeared on the American Dad! episode "The Scarlett Getter", portraying himself.
Sharpe joined Skip Bayless in FS1's sports debate show Skip and Shannon: Undisputed which premiered on September 6, 2016. In addition to his defense of LeBron James, Sharpe was also known for his criticism of Tom Brady and the Dallas Cowboys on the show. On May 31, 2023, it was announced that Sharpe would soon leave Undisputed after reaching a buyout agreement with Fox Sports. On June 13, Sharpe co-hosted his last episode of Undisputed. He later confirmed that he and Bayless had a falling out following an argument where Bayless compared Sharpe's NFL career to Tom Brady's.
Sharpe also has multiple podcasts: Club Shay Shay (which he hosts) and Nightcap (which he hosts with Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Gilbert Arenas). The episode of Club Shay Shay featuring Bubba Wallace was selected by the Apple Podcasts editorial team on their "Apple Podcasts Best of 2021" list. Both podcasts have been nominated for and won multiple awards for online media.
On August 23, 2023, it was announced that Sharpe and his Club Shay Shay podcast would join The Volume, a digital podcast network founded by Colin Cowherd under a multi-year deal. The following day, Sharpe was announced to join First Take on ESPN as a recurring panelist, beginning on September 4, 2023. He appeared every Monday and Tuesday during the 2023 NFL season. On February 16, 2024, Sharpe signed a contract extension to remain on the show. In June 2024, Sharpe had officially signed a new multi-year contract extension with ESPN which also allowed him to expand his role on First Take.
In February 2025, the "Club Shay Shay" podcast won the Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards. He was also a nominee for Entertainer of the Year but was edged out by actress, singer and television personality Keke Palmer.
On April 24, 2025, Sharpe departed from ESPN for an unknown period of time amid a sexual assault lawsuit against him. Despite his intent to return to ESPN in time for the start of the NFL preseason, the amount of time that Sharpe will be on hiatus remains indefinite.
Sharpe has three children: son Kiari and daughters Kayla and Kaley.
On February 10, 2023, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre began a lawsuit against Sharpe and fellow former NFL player Pat McAfee, as well as Mississippi auditor Shad White, for making "defamatory charges" about Favre's involvement in a $77 million welfare fraud scheme. A representative for Favre stated that Sharpe and McAfee "tried to enhance their careers by fabricating unsubstantiated defamation charges against [Favre]." The lawsuit was dismissed by the United States District Court for the District of Mississippi and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal.
In May 2023, Sharpe's Los Angeles home was burglarized with over $1 million worth of items stolen, according to several media reports. Obvious signs of forced entry were not found by the police. Sharpe announced a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
On September 11, 2024, Sharpe inadvertently started an Instagram Live after throwing his phone onto his bed; the live video captured only the audio of him while he engaged in sexual intercourse. Sharpe initially denied his involvement in the act, stating his account was hacked. Later that night, he admitted on Nightcap that the video was authentic and apologized for his actions.
On April 21, 2025, Sharpe was named as a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed by OnlyFans model Gabriella Zuniga, who initially used the pseudonym "Jane Doe," and is represented by attorney Tony Buzbee. The 13-page complaint alleges Sharpe committed "assault, sexual assault, battery, and sexual battery" and engaged in the "intentional infliction of emotional distress," and seeks compensatory and punitive damages of more than $50 million from Sharpe. In response, Sharpe released a video denying the accusations and calling the whole issue "a shakedown." Soon afterwards, the woman's legal team sent numerous text messages which were exchanged between her and Sharpe to Larry Brown Sports. Sharpe's legal team had previously revealed some text messages exchanged between Sharpe and the woman as well.
Sharpe's lawyer Lanny Davis conceded that Sharpe previously offered a "$10 million" settlement to the accuser. In a recording obtained by People magazine, a voice resembling Sharpe’s is ostensibly heard threatening physical harm to the accuser, with the words, "If you say that word one more time, I'm gonna fucking choke the shit out of you when I see you."
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