Sterling Shepard Reflects on Final Giants Season Ahead of Game Against His Old Team

The former Giants turned Buccaneers wide receiver opened up about his former squad before Tampa Bay travels to MetLife Stadium in Week 12.

Oct 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Sterling Shepard (17) catches a touchdown pass behind Atlanta Falcons cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. (33) during the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

For the second time this season, a former and beloved member of the New York Giants is set to return to MetLife Stadium with a different team.

A month after running back Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles rolled into East Rutherford, this week, former wide receiver Sterling Shepard will fly in with his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

It’ll be a chance to return to a place that meant a lot to him and loved him equally as much as an opportunity to leave his mark on a career many thought was over when he last donned a New York uniform in January.

“I was there eight years,” Shepard, the Giants second-round draft pick in 2016, told local reporters about returning to MetLife Stadium. “It’s going to be fun, getting to see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of people that I’ve been able to build relationships with. I’m excited about that part of it and being in front of the fans.”

Sterling Shepard gets what’s likely his final introduction as a Giant. pic.twitter.com/GK8teA4d5H

— Patricia Traina (@Patricia_Traina) January 7, 2024

Compared to Barkley’s mixed greeting from the Giants faithful who attended that game, the attitude towards Shepard will probably be a little friendlier. Unlike Barkley, who rejected the Giants’ attempts to re-sign him to a long-term deal as far back as the 2023 season, the 31-year-old Shepard knew his time with the team that gave him his chance at life in the NFL was coming to an end after last season.

Shepard, who played eight seasons as the heir to the slot receiver spot from Super Bowl hero Victor Cruz, tallied 372 catches for 4,095 yards and 23 touchdowns. 

In his first five seasons, Shepard was a reliable target who played in at least ten games and collected at least 576 yards and 20 total scores. Then, in 2021, he started having injury woes that limited him to just ten combined contests in two of his last three campaigns and started to leave him out of the rotation as the Giants recruited younger talent. 

Shepard signed a one-year deal before the 2023 season and gave the Giants extra receiving reinforcements with another 15 games, ten receptions for 57 yards, and one touchdown. Still, it was a mediocre 6-11 year for New York, and they decided to begin focusing the development of their offense around the younger pieces who would be there for the long haul.

"They were in that position where they were getting the younger guys some reps. That was my take on it. Which is completely fine. It's a business part of it."

Sterling Shepard talks about his departure from the Giants: pic.twitter.com/m7lRfbXgqh

— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) November 21, 2024

Shepard, who signed with the Buccaneers’ practice squad last June before getting promoted to the active roster in October, acknowledged that the franchise was heading in a different direction and was unable to hand him the same role he was accustomed to and brings no ill-will heading into his first matchup from the other side. 

“They kinda were in that position where they were getting the younger guys some reps,” he said. “I got in there and did what I had to do at times, just not what I was kinda used to.”

Since joining Tampa Bay, Shepard’s numbers haven’t jumped off the page, but he’s been steady. He has 16 receptions for 166 yards and one touchdown, but the veteran has been able to reclaim a role in an NFL huddle and show what he can still do carrying an increased snap workload as the team has dealt with injuries to its position group. 

With so much attention on fellow targets in wide receiver Mike Evans, who is slated to return from a hamstring issue that has kept him sidelined of late, and tight end Cade Otton, Shepard will have a chance to make some plays from the slot and help the Buccaneers chase a much needed win against an opponent that is just as desperate as them to right the losing ship. 

Tampa Bay has been on a four-game skid since starting the season 4-2. Like the Giants, they are coming off a bye. Their matchup against the Giants looks like a comfortable and friendly landing spot to resume a push for the postseason picture. They’ll be seeing a new face at the quarterback position as well, with Tommy DeVito taking the reins for his first live action of the year after Daniel Jones was benched. 

DeVito might look as though the Giants are even more vulnerable, but Shepard, who caught passes from DeVito last year, cautions that the second-year quarterback shouldn’t be taken lightly.  

“I love Tommy,” Shepard said. “He’s definitely a very energetic and very confident guy. That’s why I’ve been telling these guys that he’s not someone we can take lightly.

“He’s going to go out there with confidence and play his style and his type of ball. Other than that, he’s a great dude.”

It could be a good time when Shepard and the Buccaneers venture to MetLife Stadium on Sunday, and he earns a heartier reception from the Giants faithful, who appreciate his service to the team. It’s a game of new beginnings for a couple of players, one on each side of the ball, and Shepard is hoping he and his new team come out on the winning side.  

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