Sterling Shepard Is Back in New York — Just Not With the Giants

The former Giants fan favorite has joined the Jets' practice squad, reuniting with the Big Apple after stops in Tampa Bay and Houston.

Dec 11, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard (3) warms up before the game against the Green Bay Packers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Former Giants receiver Sterling Shepard has agreed to join the New York Jets on their practice squad. The deal came after the Jets tried out a handful of players at the position, including Juju Smith-Schuster, whom the Giants released during training camp.

Gang Green took a tough blow in their Week 1 road opener against the Tennessee Titans when rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. suffered an ankle injury that forced him out early with just one reception for 30 yards.

The Jets listed Cooper as "week-to-week," but he's expected to miss the team's next four games, leaving their receiver depth extremely thin and prompting the move to add Shepard to the roster on Tuesday.

Shepard, 33, joins his fourth different team since entering the league in 2016, when the Giants made the 40th overall pick in the second round out of Oklahoma. In eight seasons with Big Blue, he caught 372 balls for 4,095 yards and 23 touchdowns, hauling in at least 59 catches, 576 yards, and two touchdowns in each of his first five campaigns.

Sadly for Shepard, his Giants tenure was derailed late in his career by an ACL injury in 2022, which limited him to three games. New York brought him back on a one-year deal the next season, but Shepard was buried in the depth chart, logging 10 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown despite appearing in 15 games.

Following the Giants, Shepard spent two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last season, he finished third on the team in receiving production with 39 receptions for 371 yards and a touchdown in 13 games, but did not land a new contract during the free agency window.

Before landing with the Jets, Shepard was in the Houston Texans camp, hoping to make their 53-man roster for the 2026 season. The Texans released him on August 30 ahead of the league cutdown deadline, and now he has a chance to leave his mark with a Jets team that needs help at wideout.

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