Vikings part ways with Sherels

Marcus Sherels’ second stint with the Vikings has come to an end.

The team announced Tuesday afternoon that it had released its all-time leading punt returner less than a month after bringing him back.

Sherels had played just three games for the Vikings this season, returning six punts for 33 total yards. He was a healthy scratch for last Sunday’s victory over the Lions, with the team deciding to give the punt return duties to Mike Hughes, who had returned from an ACL injury.

It was the first time in his 10-year career that he had been a healthy scratch.

Still — and this won’t surprise any Sherels fans out there — he remained a class-act throughout the entire experience.

Even after being benched, he told reporters earlier this week that he still wanted to “find other ways to help, whether it’s getting Mike [Hughes] ready or being an extra set of eyes out there on the field.”

Sherels, a native of Rochester, departs the Vikings as the franchise leader in both punt return yards (2,480) and touchdowns (5).

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.