Vikings add receiver Tajae Sharpe, defensive lineman Anthony Zettel

Tajae Sharpe caught 25 passes for 329 yards in '19.

March 26, 2020 at 4:34AM
Tajae Sharpe #19 of the Tennessee Titans reacts for the ball against Jonathan Jones #31 of the New England Patriots in the second half of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at Gillette Stadium on January 04, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images/TNS) ORG XMIT: 1532599
Tajae Sharpe of the Titans was defended by New England’s Jonathan Jones during a playoff victory by Tennessee on Jan. 4 in Foxborough, Mass. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Vikings added wide receiver Tajae Sharpe to their roster Wednesday, giving them another veteran who can compete with Bisi Johnson for the No. 2 receiver spot and help add some depth behind Adam Thielen following last week's trade of Stefon Diggs.

The former Titans receiver agreed to a one-year deal with the Vikings. He caught 25 passes for 329 yards and a career-high four touchdowns in Tennessee last year, though his playing time dwindled and his targets slipped in the Titans' run-heavy offense in 2019.

The Vikings also signed defensive lineman Anthony Zettel, who will be entering his fifth NFL season.

Sharpe's deal is worth $1 million, with $500,000 of his $825,000 base salary guaranteed and a $175,000 signing bonus. He can earn up to another $500,000 in incentives, based on how much playing time he gets.

His most productive season was his rookie year in 2016, when he caught 41 catches for 522 yards, including seven catches for 76 yards in his first NFL game against the Vikings, and two touchdowns after the Titans drafted him in the fifth round that year.

Sharpe has typically earned his opportunities on the strength of his route-running and his physical stature. The 6-2 receiver doesn't figure to become a consistent deep threat — he's been targeted on throws of 20 or more yards just 29 times in his career, according to Pro Football Focus — but he showed he can work in the slot in 2018 and 2019 after missing all of 2017 because of a foot injury.

His time with Packers coach Matt LaFleur (who was the Titans' offensive coordinator in 2018 and runs a similar scheme to what the Vikings use) should help him get acclimated to Gary Kubiak's scheme in Minnesota.

Adding Sharpe should create some competition after the team traded Diggs to the Bills; he is the only receiver on the roster, other than Thielen, who has played more than a full season in the NFL.

Zettel, 6-4 and 275 pounds, was drafted in the sixth round (202nd overall) by Detroit out of Penn State in 2016. He has played for the Lions, Browns, Bengals and 49ers.

In 49 games (16 starts) and four playoff games, the 27-year-old has 7.5 sacks. He played in San Francisco's three postseason games, including the Super Bowl, last season.

The Vikings lost key defensive linemen Linval Joseph (to the Chargers), Stephen Weatherly (to the Panthers) and Everson Griffen (unsigned) in free agency.

They signed former Giants defensive tackle Michael Pierce to a three-year, $27 million deal on March 18.

about the writer

about the writer

Ben Goessling

Sports reporter

Ben Goessling has covered the Vikings since 2012, first at the Pioneer Press and ESPN before becoming the Minnesota Star Tribune's lead Vikings reporter in 2017. He was named one of the top NFL beat writers by the Pro Football Writers of America in 2024, after honors in the AP Sports Editors and National Headliner Awards contests in 2023.

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