As expected, more news is coming out regarding cost-cutting moves by the Giants. In this case, they are attempting to keep a key member of the offense, but at a greatly reduced cost. Per Ryan Dunleavy of The New York Post, the team is asking receiver Sterling Shepard to take “a significant pay cut”.
The team already began shedding salary yesterday, cutting tight end Kyle Rudolph, then doing the same with running back Devontae Booker. Shepard represents one of several big-name players the Giants have more difficult decisions to make with regards to solving their salary cap dilemma.
The 29-year-old is currently scheduled to have a cap hit of just under $12.5MM. Cutting him, as the team has already done and will likely do with others, however, would only create $4.5MM in savings, a consequence of the restructure done to his contract in September. For that reason, Dunleavy writes, the team is offering a new one-year pact at a reduced rate. While nothing is official regarding how much the Giants are asking Shepard to drop his $8.475MM salary by, Dunleavy reports that his compensation on a re-worked deal “is expected to be close to the league minimum”. For a veteran such as Shepard, that would amount to just over $1MM.
The longest tenured member of the Giants, Shepard has served as Daniel Jones‘ favorite target when healthy. Unfortunately for him, that hasn’t been the case often enough to justify his contract as things currently stand. He suffered a torn Achilles in December, the most significant of multiple injuries he faced in 2021. Overall, he’s played a full campaign only twice in six years, though his 2018 numbers (66 catches, 872 yards, four touchdowns) demonstrate what he’s capable of producing when he’s able to stay on the field.
Dunleavy adds that Shepard “is said to be considering the pay cut as he ponders his options”. Staying put could allow him to play his way into a new contract closer in value to the extension he signed in 2019, assuming he is able to fully recover and stay on the field. If he declines the Giants’ request, general manager Joe Schoen‘s cap gymnastics could get that much more complicated.
Take a pay cut to continue to stay with the Giants or get cut and get to sign anywhere you want. Seems like a no brainer to me.
They’ll cut most of the team at this point why not? Cap he’ll with no talent.
The cap is an amorphous thing. To a fan like me, it’s nearly incomprehensible. It reminds me of the federal tax code—filled with deception, manipulation, loopholes, deadlines, and diversions, where some salaries count against it while others do not. It’s so convoluted—at least it seems that way to me—that an NFL team needs a “cap expert” among its administrative personnel.
Most NFL teams have a cap expert
not a big Shep fan, but that’s borderline insulting.
Weird to realize he’s 29, but I guess time flies when you’re drafted at 23 and miss 25 games in your first six seasons. Dude should not be taking a pay cut when any play could really be his last (even by NFL player standards). Let them cut him if they need to, take the money, and go be a role player on a team that has actual stars.
Just release him. Mediocre at best. Let’s clean house, the entire roster sucks. GANO only keeper.
Take an $11 million cut to stay with a horrible organization that’s going nowhere. Is this the new NFL cte test?!
I believe they save more if they designate him as a post June 1 cap cut.
Not if he only has one year left
He has 2 years left – 22 and 23
Doesn’t seem to be much of a choice to make for him. I’d refuse the pay cut, get released and bet on myself to do better than $1mill even if it’s an incentive laden one year deal
Refuse the reduction and force the Giants to cut him.
Even if he doesn’t hook on with another team
For a job he can always fall back on being a SHEPARD !!
Shepard is the last player from the Boat Trip who’s still on the Giants. How are they going to make the playoffs again with their culture of entitlement?
I wish the nfl would recalibrate their contracts. Every year we go through this exercise where guys with no guarantee money get their contracts reworked to save money or kick it down the road.
I’d rather see less annual salary with more guaranteed, and guaranteed for the life of the contract so you can actually plan for the future.
The teams want no part of that. They want the limited guarantees and the flexibility of moving money around.
Philly not very far of a drive down I95 bro
Everyone seems to be commenting like Sterling didn’t blow out his ACL late in the season, with already having a long injury history. The Giants don’t save much by cutting him this year in regards to the cap, but his salary isn’t guaranteed and them offering him a pay cut is actually something that will help him and the Giants out. If he takes the pay cut, they’ll save more money against the cap. If he takes the pay cut, he’ll be guaranteed to have an income this coming season while he’s rehabbing his injury… Otherwise they’ll just cut him and he won’t make a dime.
At least think before you
type.