Shannon Sharpe's home in L.A. was burglarized last week ... and cops say the thieves made off with around $1 million in goods from the ex-NFL star's residence.
Law enforcement tells TMZ Sports ... the break-in happened back on May 19 between 7 PM and 9:30 PM -- after Sharpe had left his place for a few hours in the early evening.
We're told when Sharpe returned home after dinner with friends and noticed something was not right ... so he called the police.