ESPN has reported that Victor Cruz will receive a long term deal that he has been seeking before the start of training camp. It will be interesting to see what the New York Giants camp, and Victor Cruz’s camp compromised on in order to get the deal done. It has been reported that Cruz was looking for around $8-10 million annually, which is an awful lot of money for a ‘slot receiver’.
Cruz is only 26 years old, and has posted back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. However, with Cruz’s contract almost completed, this leaves Hakeem Nicks up next. The Giants, along with myself see Nicks as a true number 1 receiver, who draws double teams and is a major factor in the opposing teams game plan. When Nicks is healthy, he is a top-5 Wide Receiver in the NFL, and hopefully their is enough money to go around as he is in the final year of his rookie deal, and Jason Pierre-Paul is due for a nice pay day as well.
My problem with giving Cruz this type of money is that Eli Manning seems to find another ‘slot receiver’ whenever one goes down or leaves via free agency. Remember the ‘other Steve Smith’, who in 2009 recorded 107 receptions, 1,220 yards and 7 touchdowns. Also, do you remember Mario Manningham who in 2010 recorded 60 receptions for 944 yards and 9 touchdowns. Yes, Victor Cruz has the rare play-making ability that is vital to the Giants offensive success, but Eli has proven in the past that he is the one who truly is the motor for the receiving corps. I am happy that Cruz will be a Giant for a long time now, but it could be said that Ruben Randle could have filled his void and saved the Giants loads of cap space in the future.
Justin Lerner: PureSportsNY