Marcus Sherels
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Marcus John Sherels (born September 30, 1987) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
and
return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...
. He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, and was signed by the Vikings as an
undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
in 2010. Primarily known as a return specialist, Sherels is tied for first in Vikings franchise history with a 10.4 yard career punt return average (208 for 2,171 yards) and holds the franchise record with 5 career punt return touchdowns. He has also been a member of the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
and
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
.


Early years

Sherels went to Franklin Elementary School, then John Marshall High School in
Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...
. In
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
, he was used on both sides of the ball because of his playmaking ability, playing
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...
and wide receiver on offense and
defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
on defense. In 2004, he led his team to the state tournament. He was named honorable mention
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(AP) All-State as a junior as he led the Rockets to a section title and 9–2 mark. As a senior, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and rushed for 100 or more yards in seven of nine games for the Rockets. They finished their 5–4 season with a 32–8 loss to
Farmington Farmington may refer to: Places Canada *Farmington, British Columbia * Farmington, Nova Scotia (disambiguation) United States *Farmington, Arkansas *Farmington, California *Farmington, Connecticut *Farmington, Delaware * Farmington, Georgia * ...
in the first round of the Section 1, Class 5A playoffs, where he was held to just 36 yards on 16 carries. For his season efforts, he earned an honorable mention All-State at running back. He also excelled on the
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team, earning all-conference honors after leading his team to the sectional semifinals, where they lost to
Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
.


College career

Sherels played for the
Minnesota Golden Gophers The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and competes in the Big Te ...
, earning a scholarship after initially joining the football program as a
walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music * ''Walk On'', a 1994 album by Boston, and its title song Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album), 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album), 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album), 1992 *''Walk On'', a 2007 album by ...
. He recorded four career
interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
with the Gophers and returned a
fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...
88 yards for a touchdown during the 2009–2010 season.


Professional career

Sherels ran a 4.37 and 4.39-second in the
40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...
and recorded a 40-inch
vertical jump A vertical jump or vertical leap is the act of jumping upwards into the air. It can be an exercise for building both endurance and strength, and is also a standard test for measuring athletic performance. It may also be referred to as a ''Sargent ...
at his Pro Day.


Minnesota Vikings

Sherels was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2010 preseason after a strong performance in the Vikings rookie camp, where he participated on a tryout basis. Sherels holds the Vikings record with 5 career punt return touchdowns after he passed career marks of 2 previously held by
Mewelde Moore Mewelde Jaem Cadere Moore (born July 24, 1982) is a former American football running back. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Moore also played with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning a Sup ...
and David Palmer. He also ranks second in the league from 2012 to 2015 with 1,230 punt return yards and is tied for second in that same 4-year span with 3 punt return scores. In 2013, he started a career-high 4 games at cornerback and set the Vikings' single-season record with a 15.2 punt return average, breaking the previous mark of 13.2 set by running back David Palmer during the 1995 season. He also holds the team record with 5 career punt returns of more than 50 yards. On October 21, 2013, he notched the third-longest punt return touchdown in club history with an 86-yarder against the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
on Monday Night Football that helped him set the Vikings single game record with 119 punt return yards. In 2012, he became the 10th player in Vikings history to return a punt for a touchdown with a 77-yard return for a score against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, the 7th-longest punt return in team history. In the 2013 preseason game against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, he set a Vikings preseason record with a 109-yard kickoff return touchdown.


2010 season

Sherels was waived by the Vikings on September 4, 2010 and then signed to the practice squad on September 6. On September 28, Sherels was released in order to make room on the practice squad for tight end John Nalbone. On October 13, Sherels was re-signed to the Vikings practice squad and Nalbone released. This move, along with the signing of Frank Walker to the active squad, was made due to the season-ending injury sustained by starting cornerback
Cedric Griffin Cedric Leonard Griffin (born November 11, 1982) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at the ...
, who was placed on injured reserve the same day. Sherels spent 15 weeks on the Vikings’ practice squad and was activated for the final game of the season against the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
.


2011 season

On January 1, 2011, Sherels was elevated to the active 53-man squad after safety
Madieu Williams Madieu Mohammed Williams (born October 18, 1981) is a former American football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2 ...
was placed on injured reserve. Sherels was moved from his habitual special teams role to start 3 games as a nickel cornerback as injuries took their toll on the Vikings secondary, but he still handled all punt return duties and was tied for second on the team with 16 kickoff returns, only behind
Percy Harvin William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
. He started the first game of his career against Arizona on October 9, a game which the Vikings won for the first win of the season. He recorded the Vikings' longest punt return of season with a 53-yarder in Week 3 against the Lions and the third-longest kickoff return with a 78-yarder against the Panthers in Week 8. In the Vikings' Week 10 loss against the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
he posted his first career sack against
Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the ...
. Sherels finished the season with 27 combined tackles, a sack and three passes defended on defense, while also returning 16 kicks for 445 yards (27.8 avg.) and 33 punts for 277 yards (8.4 avg.).


2012 season

In 2012, Sherels handled all punt return duties and tied for the team-lead again with Percy Harvin in kickoff returns with 16. He ranked seventh in the NFC in punt return average at 9.0 yards per return. On September 30, 2012 (Sherels' 25th birthday) in an away game at the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, Sherels recorded his first career touchdown on a 77-yard punt return that gave the Vikings a 14-point lead in their 20–13 win. The touchdown helped match a Vikings record with a punt return touchdown and kickoff return touchdown in the same game as Percy Harvin also scored on a 105-yarder. Sherels finished the season with 9 total tackles and one pass defended as a cornerback, and 16 kick returns for 422 yards (26.4 avg.) and 32 punt returns for 287 yards (9.0 avg.).


2013 season

In a preseason game against the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, Sherels recorded a 109-yard kickoff return score and an interception of Titans' quarterback Rusty Smith. For the 2013 season Sherels led the NFC with a 15.2 yard average on punt returns, breaking the previous mark by 2 yards (David Palmer, who averaged 13.2 in 1995), and led the league in fair catches with 26. In Week 7, he set a team record for single-game punt return yards with 119 at the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
, with a long of 89 yards that resulted in a touchdown. On December 8, he picked off his first career interception off
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
' quarterback
Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Baltim ...
in Week 14. He had a pair of 8-tackle games during the season, at Dallas in Week 9 and at Cincinnati in Week 16. He started at cornerback for the
NFL International Series The NFL International Series is a series of American football games during the National Football League (NFL) NFL regular season, regular season that are List of National Football League games played outside the United States, played outside th ...
game celebrated in
London, England London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...
against the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
that resulted in the Vikings first win of the season. In Week 3, he stepped in for injured starter Chris Cook and tied for the team-high with a career-best 10 tackles, including 9 solos and led the team with 4 passes defensed against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
. Sherels started three games during the season and posted a career-high 46 tackles (40 of them solo), 6 passes defended and a pick, while also returning 22 punts for 335 yards (15.2 avg.).


2014 season

On March 7, 2014, the Vikings re-signed Sherels to a two-year contract. He tied for sixth in the NFL and third in the NFC in punt return average with 11.0 per attempt. His longest punt return of the season came at the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
in Week 6 with a 35-yarder. In Week 5, he returned 4 kickoffs for 110 yards (27.5 avg.) with a long of 46 yards at the
Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
. On special teams, he ranked4 fourth on the team with a career-high 11 special teams tackles while adding a forced fumble. While appearing in all 16 games, Sherels posted 8 tackles on defense, returned 4 kicks for 110 yards and 27 punts for 297 yards (11.0 avg.). For his season efforts, Sherels was named the 2014 PFF All-NFC North Returner of the Year.


2015 season

On November 4, 2015, Sherels was named the NFC Special-Teams Player of the week for the first time in regards to his Week 9 65-yard punt-return for a touchdown against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
that helped break an 8-game losing streak at
Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...
. In the season opener game against the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...
, he jumped on a field goal blocked by teammate
Andrew Sendejo Andrew Victor Sendejo (born September 9, 1987) is an American football free safety who is a free agent. He played college football for the Rice Owls, and was signed by the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (UFL) as a fre ...
and returned it 44 yards. For the season, he collected 8 tackles, all of them solo, returned 2 kicks for 33 yards (16.5 avg.) and 34 punts for 311 yards (9.1 avg.). He also ranked fifth on the team with 8 special teams tackles.


2016 season

On March 11, the Vikings re-signed Sherels to a two-year $4 million contract with a $1.5 million guaranteed. On August 18 during a preseason game against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
, Sherels caused a pass interference late in the fourth quarter, but on the very next play, he picked off a pass from rookie quarterback
Trevone Boykin Trevone Dequan Boykin (born August 22, 1993) is an American football quarterback for Galgos de Tijuana of the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA). He played college football at Texas Christian University (TCU) and was signed by the Se ...
and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown to help the Vikings win. In Week 3 of the regular season with the Vikings trailing 10–2 to the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...
, Sherels changed the course of the game with a 54-yard punt return for a touchdown late in the first quarter. He also deflected a pass intended to
Kelvin Benjamin Kelvin Benjamin (born February 5, 1991) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played for ...
late in the game. In Week 5 against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, Sherels returned a punt for a 79-yard touchdown that gave the Vikings a 24–0 lead. His return was seventh longest in team history, and he moved into second place among Vikings in punt return yards with 1,688, trailing only Leo Lewis, who had 1,812 in 11 seasons. Sherels, in his sixth season, also became the first Vikings player to have two games with more than 100 yards in punt returns.


2017 season

In 2017, Sherels played in all 16 games primarily on special teams and as the Vikings primary punt returner.


2018 season

On March 28, 2018, Sherels re-signed with the Vikings.


New Orleans Saints

On March 21, 2019, Sherels signed a one-year contract with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2019, but was released the next day.


Minnesota Vikings (second stint)

On September 24, 2019, Sherels re-signed with the Vikings. He was released on October 22, 2019.


Miami Dolphins

On November 5, 2019, Sherels was signed by the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
. He was released on December 14, 2019.


Minnesota Vikings (third stint)

On January 3, 2020, Sherels re-signed with the Vikings for the second time that season. He was not re-signed after the playoffs.


Minnesota Vikings franchise records

* Vikings' single-season punt return average: 15.2 (2013) * Most punt return yards in a game: 119 (October 21, 2013) * Most punt return touchdowns in a season: 2 (2016) * Most punt return touchdowns in a career: 5 * First Vikings player to have two games with more than 100 yards in punt returns: (2016) * Most Special Team touchdowns by any Viking in franchise history: 5 (tied with
Percy Harvin William Percival Harvin III (born May 28, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Florida, when the Gators won the BCS National Championship in 2006 and 2008, and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings o ...
and
Cordarrelle Patterson Cordarrelle Patterson ( ; born March 17, 1991), nicknamed "Flash", is an American football player for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). A versatile utility player, he plays running back, wide receiver, return speciali ...
)


NFL career statistics


Defense


Return


Personal life

Since 2020, Sherels is a co-owner of The Bin Cleaners, a contract sanitation service in Rochester, Minnesota. He also co-owns ETS Performance, a sports performance facility in Rochester, with former Vikings teammate
Adam Thielen Adam John Thielen (born August 22, 1990) is an American football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Minnesota State and signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agen ...
. Sherels is the younger brother of former University of Minnesota linebacker (and later linebackers coach) Mike Sherels.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherels, Marcus 1987 births Living people Players of American football from Minnesota Sportspeople from Rochester, Minnesota American football cornerbacks American football return specialists Minnesota Golden Gophers football players Minnesota Vikings players New Orleans Saints players Miami Dolphins players