Cornerback Sam Shields only played in one game during the 2016 and 2017 seasons as he dealt with issues related to concussions that he was able to get through in time to join the Rams for the 2018 season.
Shields said before the Super Bowl that he was “very close” to giving up hope of playing again before doctors at UCLA were able to get him on the right track. Now that he’s made it back, he’s not in any hurry to return to thinking about retirement.
“Man, it’s a blessing. Just a dream — what I went through, getting to where I got to in the Super Bowl, just the whole season, what I accomplished — not giving up, going through the mental part of it, I beat all odds,” Shields said, via the Rams website. “And I feel myself again. I feel like I want to keep going some more.”
Shields played over 33 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps and 49 percent of their special teams snaps in the regular season. He’s not under contract for next season and said he’d like to remain with the team, but knows “business is business” once free agency gets underway.