Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard is out for the season with a torn ACL, but he may still be able to contribute to the team in one way: By recruiting Odell Beckham Jr.
Shepard, who played with Beckham on the Giants for three years, says they remain close and that Beckham is very interested in a return.
“I talk to him every day, but we don’t talk about [his decision] too much,” Shepard said, via the New York Daily News. “Obviously he knows that we want him here. He would love to be here. But everything has to play out for that to happen. There’s a whole bunch of intangibles that have to play out for him to be here. And I understand that. This is a business, and his business has gotta be right for him to do it.”
Beckham is considering both the Giants and the Cowboys, who play each other on Thanksgiving. Shepard said beating the Cowboys could help, as Beckham wants to play for a contender.
“I don’t think it would hurt!” Shepard said. “To be honest with you, I don’t think it would hurt. We’d be coming off a pretty big win, a big one for us. Definitely wouldn’t hurt. I can say it.”
What also wouldn’t hurt is the Giants offering Beckham a lucrative contract. It’s unknown how much Beckham has been offered by the Cowboys, the Giants or any other team, but Shepard’s reference to “business” suggests that getting Beckham in the building will be primarily about offering him a contract to his liking.