Sterling Shepard Optimistic About Return

The veteran Giants receiver hopes to close out the 2021 campaign on a positive note.

Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard said he's feeling "super frustrated" at this point with how his body has yet again betrayed him.

After spending the off-season to change up his diet and workout routine to ensure that he had the best chance possible of playing through his first full season since 2018, Shepard has already missed seven games with hamstring and quad injuries.

That's been a shame for the Giants' offense, as before getting dinged, Shepard was one of their most productive receivers. But now, with the Giants' 2021 campaign drawing to a close in five weeks, Shepard hopes to salvage what he can from a lost season for the future.

"Feeling a lot better," he said after finally being cleared to do some limited work in practice Thursday. "Today was a big test for me. Got moving around a little bit, got some contact, which is something that I wanted to get. Felt good with it."

 Shepard said that unlike his hamstring issue, from which he recovered quickly, the quad ailment lingered a lot longer than he anticipated. 

"Was trying to do everything I could to get back and I’m here now. I’m glad with the way it’s progressed over the few weeks and hopefully get back out to action," he said.

This weekend against the Los Angeles Chargers, he has that chance of making it back for his first game since that contest against the Chiefs. 

"Yeah, I mean I’m still listening to the trainers. I’ve got to go back in today and they want to see how I feel tomorrow, but I’m very optimistic that I’ll be able to be out there this week with the guys and hopefully that’s the case," he said.

His injury-filled 2021 season doesn't necessarily bode well for his future with the Giants. Shepard has a $12.495 million cap hit on the books next year, including an $8.475 million base salary--a rather hefty sum for a team whose 2022 salary cap is already maxed out. 

With the Giants having drafted Kadarius Toney, who, like Shepard, is primarily a slot receiver, for the future, it's certainly possible that Shepard, the longest tenured Giant, could be looking at his final days as a member of Big Blue.  

"You always want to put good tape out there no matter what. You never want to put bad film out," Shepard said when asked what his objectives were for the rest of the year. 

"You never know what can happen in this league, so you’ve always got to give it your max effort. Plus, we’ve got guys that we’re playing for. You’re going to play for the brother next to you. We’ve been grinding with each other, so got to finish this season off with a bang. We’ve been here before; I’ve been here before in my career. I think it’s always good to finish off the season with a bang."

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