The Giants are hopeful that Sterling Shepard will be back sometime in August, a remarkable recovery time frame after he tore his Achilles last December in the Giants’ Week 15 loss to Dallas, although Shepard wouldn’t put a timeline on himself when he spoke to the media on Day 1 of Big Blue’s offseason workout program.
“I really don’t have an idea, taking it day by day and listening to the trainers. I’m doing everything they ask of me and some extra stuff at home, so doing everything in my power to get back out there on the field,” he said during a Zoom call with the media.
Shepard is back on a restructured deal, new GM Joe Schoen helping the cap-strapped Giants by re-working his contract. The receiver was set to begin the third year of a four-year, $41 million extension this season, but instead, he took a pay cut from his scheduled $8.475 million salary this year in exchange for wiping 2023 off the books.
That means Shepard will be a free agent after this season, but it was good for him to know he was wanted, even as he rehabs from a major injury and could have been an easy cap casualty.
“They wanted me here. I wanted to be here. We were able to work something out that made sense for both sides, and I’ve moved on,” Shepard said. “Looking forward to getting to know these guys and this playbook, and doing my part to help win games.”
Releasing Shepard, who was scheduled to count $12.495 million against the cap prior to the restructure, would’ve saved $4.5 million in cap room but given the Giants a lot of dead cap money. Instead, they lowered his hit this year and also took the $13.495 million hit for next year completely off the books.
A win-win, it seems.
“It’s tough, but I did the pros and cons and the pros outweighed the cons by a landslide,” Shepard said. “I did a lot of talking to my family, and ultimately it was the best situation for us. I was super happy we were able to come to an agreement, and if everything goes the way that I hope it goes, hopefully I’ll be here for a little bit longer.”
Now, the focus is solely on rehabbing from his injury, without the worry of where his future lied, and not just what it held.
“I just want to focus on getting better, and I’ve been listening to the trainers and doing everything they ask of me, and that’s all I can do,” Shepard said. “I’m glad, because I wanted to be back with a group of guys who wanted me back. It’s always great to be wanted. You take chances in free agency, you don’t know where you’re going to end up, but I still have a lot of ties with people still in this building.”
Shepard played just seven games last year due to various injuries, including the torn Achilles, but was happy when a new regime decided they wanted him to be part of it all.
“Ultimately, I wanted to go somewhere I was wanted, and that’s what I got from those guys,” he said. “You never know what’s gonna happen in this business, but everything works out for a reason, and I felt like this was the best place for me and my family.”
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