New York Giants: When to trade Sterling Shepard

The New York Giants are in a rebuild even if the club is also trying to remain competitive. Trading Sterling Shepard may be the next part of the process.

After the New York Giants paid superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in 2018, the organization trading Sterling Shepard not only made sense, it seemed the inevitable conclusion to his tenure with the club.

New York will eventually have to pay a younger quarterback not named Eli Manning. Beckham was under contract for the foreseeable future. The same goes for Saquon Barkley. Evan Engram plays tight end and, thus, will be compensated accordingly and differently. Shepard’s contract expires after the upcoming campaign. He was expendable as of March 1.

As with just about everything Giants-related, Shepard’s situation changed when the franchise traded Beckham to the Cleveland Browns. That transaction made the 26-year old heading into a contract year the target who has worked with Manning more than anyone else. Golden Tate, signed after the Beckham trade, has seen more rodeos over the years, but he also hasn’t yet caught a pass from the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

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New York general manager Dave Gettleman is, for better or worse, telling anybody who will listen he believes the Giants can both rebuild and win more than a handful of contests in 2019. Assuming he isn’t merely attempting to sell a tall tale to a fan base not adding Gettleman’s name to their Christmas Card lists this year, why, then, is there continued speculation from the likes of John Fennelly of Giants Wire and others that the team could trade Shepard sooner rather than later?

Answering that question is easier than some may realize. Aside from Manning, essentially anything from the prior regime is on the chopping block and up for sale. Everything must go. Anybody doubting that is part of Gettleman’s process either isn’t paying attention or is in denial. At this point, the Giants trading Engram shouldn’t be out of the question because, quite frankly, why would it be?

History suggests the Giants won’t go out of the way to retain Shepard on a second deal. Yes, the club re-signed Beckham, but only to trade him less than a year after the ink on that agreement dried. Hakeem Nicks didn’t receive any real offer after his first contract expired. Eli Apple was dealt before last fall’s trade deadline, and Landon Collins was allowed to leave in free agency. The aftermath of losing Collins for nothing could play a role in how the Giants handle Shepard.

There are three logical and reasonable routes Gettleman and the Giants can travel down regarding Shepard’s future since it seems a foregone conclusion he won’t see an extension offer. New York can let things play out, get to next March and then lose yet another asset. The Giants can trade Shepard ahead of the draft, or New York can wait and hope a receiver-desperate contender pays for him, via picks, in October.

Each of the last two options could benefit the Giants moving forward. If, for example, the New England Patriots view Shepard as an ideal weapon for Tom Brady during the twilight of the future Hall of Famer’s career, the two sides could do business ahead of the Giants selecting a replacement during a draft filled with talented receivers, including some taller and with more length.

Waiting also makes sense. Maybe — just maybe — Gettleman hasn’t lost the plot, and a Giants team that lost more than a few one-score games in 2018 isn’t multiple offseasons away from flirting with a winning record.

Bolstering the defense during the draft while trusting an offense with Manning, Barkley, Shepard, Tate, and Engram will create scoring opportunities isn’t a plan that will excite customers in the spring, but it’s a plan nevertheless. Accepting calls for Shepard’s services in October could still be on the table.

Whether or not the fans want the Giants to keep Shepard beyond October seems irrelevant. It’s a new day in East Rutherford, and the only remnants of the Jerry Reese Giants in the building next spring will be a pair of Super Bowl trophies.