Yes, he heard that.
“Obviously,” Sterling Shepard said. “It was everywhere.”
Shepard has been in fairly regular contact with Daniel Jones, but they haven't been in touch this week as Shepard's new team, the Buccaneers, is scheduled to play his old team, the Giants.
Shepard, who is currently working in Tampa but spent his first eight NFL seasons with the Giants, was disappointed to hear that the former quarterback was benched and basically put out to pasture.
“I feel for him because I know how hard he works and I've seen it firsthand and I know what a great person he is.” Shepard told the Post. “And he can play ball, man, he's a good ball player. But unfortunately, that's how this business goes sometimes. Sometimes it's good for you, and sometimes it's the other way around. You can go on to that, and you have to overcome that.”
On Friday, Jones asked for his release, and the Giants honored that request and officially ended their relationship with Jones.
Eli Manning threw the ball for Shepard's first three years with the Giants, and Jones served as the passer for Shepard's next five NFL seasons in Giants blue.
Shepard made the playoffs as a rookie in 2016, and the next time the Giants made the postseason in 2022, he played just three games before suffering a torn ACL that ended his season.
Over the next two seasons, he started just four games before his time with the Giants ran out.
There have been many losses for Shepard with the Giants, but Shepard's absence continues even as the Giants sit with a 2-8 record entering Sunday's game at MetLife Stadium.
The experience with the Buccaneers gave Sheppard, who was well-respected and well-liked during his time with the Giants, an opportunity to see how other organizations operate.
“I feel like [the Giants] We’re just a few pieces away from being a really good team,” Shepard said. “I think they have a lot of solid work. When it comes to culture and other things, I've had the opportunity to look at the way things are done from a different standpoint, but there's probably a little bit of effort there. I think it might be.”
What about culture and things like that?
“It’s so different in so many different ways, on so many different levels,” he said. “When it comes to the little things, there are a lot of different things that I chose to do, like what I can do in the building as a player, how I communicate and work with the coaches,” even though I've been there for such a long time. It's a difference, right down to the training staff and the weight coaches and some of the different things we do here.
“I'm not saying their way is bad, because it's not bad. It's just different and I was able to see the other side of it.”
Brian Daboll won't be able to use Sheppard on the field much in 2023, with Daboll losing his touch and the Giants going 8-19 over the past two seasons since making the playoffs in his first year as head coach. .
“I can't believe you went from being coach of the year two years ago to just a guy who can't do his job,” Shepherd said. “I can't believe that. I wish him the best. I feel like he can be a winning coach. He's done it before, he did it early on. I don’t think I’ll ever walk away from that.”
Shepard reunited with former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and showed he has something left in the tank.
Shepard has 16 receptions for 166 yards and one touchdown in eight games. He also gained 55 yards on seven rushing attempts.
Shepard now knows there's life after the Giants. Others in more high-profile situations have learned it as well.
Saquon Barkley is the star for the Eagles, Xavier McKinney is second in the league in interceptions for the Packers, and Julian Love and Leonard Williams start on defense for the Seahawks.
Of all the moves that depleted talent, Shepard finds it hard to fathom that the Giants actually let Barkley walk out the door and directly into the arms of a division rival.
Barkley finished second in the NFL in rushing with 1,137 yards.
“Did he ever show you anything different?” Shepard said. “His return was a little delayed, probably the year after the injury, but he was still healthy. He's the ultimate teammate and leader, and obviously his style of play and his actions on the field showed that It tells a story.”
It defines players and people who are hard to give up on.
“Honestly, I think so,” Shepard said.
