[mm-video type=video id=01f5f3kpcge36aqgfv8h playlist_id=01eqbz7cqqgxy50qwt player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01f5f3kpcge36aqgfv8h/01f5f3kpcge36aqgfv8h-551e6d19773593109ce7642435a28868.jpg]
This offseason, the NFL changed some of it’s rules regarding jersey numbers lifting some of the restrictions on what positions were allowed to wear. Many players have taken advantage of this rule change as an opportunity to return to their old college number, which is exactly what former Oklahoma wide receiver Sterling Shepard has planned for the upcoming season with the New York Giants.
Shepard announced on Twitter and Instagram on Tuesday that he will be returning to the No. 3 that he wore in his time with the Sooners, the same number that his father, Derrick, wore when he was a player at Oklahoma in the mid-1980s.
Getting back to my roots #dadumbwayyy https://t.co/CG0H7KGHV2
— Sterling Shepard (@sterl_shep3) May 11, 2021
The photoshopped photo he posted on Instagram gave fans a glimpse of what his new look will be come the beginning of the 2021 season. The official Giants Twitter account seems to approve of the move.
Say hello to No. 3 🔥
(via @sterl_shep3) @Nike pic.twitter.com/I2VVV5s8PS
— New York Giants (@Giants) May 11, 2021
Due to Shepard changing his number, he will be responsible for paying for and buying out the remaining No. 87 jerseys still available for retail purchase from the league. But, obviously, he has deemed the money to be worth it to return to the number he and his father shared in their careers at Oklahoma.
Shepard will begin his sixth NFL season, and the first with No. 3, later this year. The league’s 2021 schedule release is slated for Wednesday night.