Salsa Stays at Metlife
Victor Cruz says he worked his whole life get to this point, signing a lucrative contract extension with the New York Giants on Monday that should take care of his family for the rest of his life.
So, what motivates the dynamic slot receiver work now?
“Just more championships, man,” Cruz said in a conference call with reporters, shortly after he signed the deal at Giants headquarters. “Now, I can focus on football.”
A person with knowledge of the negotiations told USA TODAY Sports that Cruz’s contract is worth about $45.9 million over six years, with $15.6 million guaranteed. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract details had not been announced.
The offer was too good to pass up for Cruz, a Paterson, N.J., native who had to fight just to make the Giants roster three years ago as an undrafted free agent out of Massachusetts.
“I was like, you know what? I’m done with the back and forth,” said Cruz, 26. “What’s on the table is a really good deal. I’m really excited about it, and it’s going to provide security for my family for a very long time. I felt like today was the day.”
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Cruz led the Giants with 168 catches for 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He said he never considered playing on the one-year, $2.879 million restricted free-agent tender he signed on June 14 to avoid having the tender reduced to $600,000.
“I knew with the kind of person I am, it would have been difficult to look you guys in the face in the locker room every day with those same questions that I had to face a year prior,” Cruz said. “I don’t know if I could do that again.”
The intention was to continue working on a multiyear deal, which ended up averaging $7.647 million — good for 18th among NFL receivers and among the top contracts for slot men, though short of the six-year, $67 million contract the Seattle Seahawks gave Percy Harvin after acquiring him from the Minnesota Vikings in a March trade.
Cruz’s contract exceeds the deals signed in the offseason by Wes Welker with the Denver Broncos (two years, $12 million fully guaranteed) and Danny Amendola with the New England Patriots (five years, $28.5 million, $10 million guaranteed).
“I think my deal is tremendous,” Cruz said. “I think to be able to be in a top position as a slot receiver amongst the best in the league, I think it’s definitely a great deal. You don’t want to be anywhere else. I don’t want to play anywhere else.”
Cruz didn’t even receive a signing bonus on the three-year contract he signed with the Giants the day after the 2010 draft. He battled injuries as a rookie and appeared in only three games, failing to record a catch, then broke through as Eli Manning’s favorite target in 2011 and helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI.
The Giants were $3.309 million under the salary cap prior to Cruz’s deal. They now can turn their attention to signing their remaining two draft picks, first-rounder Justin Pugh and fourth-rounder Ryan Nassib, as well as working on a new deal for their other top receiver, Hakeem Nicks, who is due $2.725 million in base salary in the last year of his rookie contract.
“Hakeem’s his own man,” Cruz said. “He’s going to make his own decisions. But I’m definitely going to see if I can get him to stay with me for a couple years.”
Cruz said he misses his teammates after his skipping all offseason workouts, organized team activity practices and the minicamp.
The Giants were 9-7 last season, missing the playoffs for the third time in four years.
“I’m excited to just continue to win, man,” Cruz said. “I’m still young. I feel like I’ve got another couple more championships under my belt that myself and the team can accomplish. So, I’m ready to get started.”
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