Giants Release Cruz

I guess.

In comment 13359104 Del Shofner said:

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I guess.

My feelings exactly. End of an era.

What an impact he made in such a short period of time.

unless he signs elsewhere in the NFCE, in which case he can drop dead.

Kidding - thanks for everything VC, very sorry that you were injured and that it had to go that way, but you were a great Giant for your tenure, and your tenacity in your return from injury was admirable.

he can't play outside at an NFL level and he isn't better than Shepard. Hope he finds a home or does whatever makes him happy, but the Giants were more than fair with him and now need to move on.

Cap hit too much, and his ability as an outside receiver just isn't what the team needs.

I'll leave the Miami boat trip out of this.

Victor was a great Giant. I will personally never forget what he did during the entire 2011 season, and the NFC Championship game in SF.

Thank you Victor, and best of luck to you!

give him every chance to sign elsewhere.

Good luck after football.

where ever you end up. You were a great Giant!

hoped they'd paycut one more time.

and the move had to be made its still a sad day. His 2011 season and that 99 yard catch remain legendary in Giants history. I'll never get tired of watching his highlights from that season.

He gets about a month head start to try and hook up with another team, unless he hangs them up and perhaps gets into modeling

See how he would have done in the slot in a 4 WR set. But BM refused to change his formations.

good luck to all future endeavors.

I know you have a good future ahead of you.

We all saw this coming, unfortunately.

Remember him against the Jets. Thanks.

Thank you Victor. I will always remember your TD catch and run vs the Jets as the kick start to a SB title.

Best wishes.

and that's coming from a big time Cruz apologist throughout 2016. The whole offense never got going and Cruz's numbers as a 3rd receiver were in line with that of a 3rd receiver on a bad offense.

Still, at the end of the day he was a 3rd WR making 7 million dollars with a couple other guys on the roster who showed flashes of quality play. It's the right move, as shitty as it feels.

the NFL is a results business. The reality is the Shepard took his roster spot. Playing on the outside, where he didn't have size, and the speed was gone, made him an after thought. This is Odell's team. Shepard in Cruz's old position in the slot. That he was on the bench late for King in the Packers game kind of said it all.

Cruz was a great story and a wonderful Giant. I'm happy for him that he was able to get that big contract before the injuries set in starting in 2013 with the knee injury vs. the Seahawks. He was able to cash out where Steve Smith got burned.

I wish him the best of luck, but the amount of injuries made him a shell of his former self, and all the credit for him to fight his way back, but his salary number made him impossible to bring back at that number. And per my post a few weeks back, where I asked if the Giants did him a disservice, he's not really a fit on the team anymore. It was time to move on.

It was time....

In comment 13359117 Tom in NY said:

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Cap hit too much, and his ability as an outside receiver just isn't what the team needs. I'll leave the Miami boat trip out of this. Victor was a great Giant. I will personally never forget what he did during the entire 2011 season, and the NFC Championship game in SF. Thank you Victor, and best of luck to you!

Agreed. Congratulations on all you achieved Victor, and best of luck in your future. I'm sure you'll be incredibly successful if you continue your football career, or with the next chapter in your life. Your contributions as a Giant will never be forgotten.

so sad Cruz was my favorite

classy guy

pls

now go sign with the Pats and get another ring.

He was the odd man out. Maybe he'll find a team needing a slot receiver.

That is except if he plays against the Giants.

Reminds me of Mark Bavaro playing for the Eagles. You had to root for him. It was not as if he left voluntarily to play for another team; he also suffered injuries that caused the Giants to cut him.

He's seemed, wisely, to have his mind on life after football for a while now.

He and Nicks are lessons in how quickly things can change, and how important it is for the Giants to maintain a pipeline of fresh talent while remaining financially flexible.

On July 8, 2013 Cruz signed a 5 year, $46 million dollar deal. Since that day here's what they got out of Cruz (4 total seasons):

35 games played
29 games missed
135 receptions
1921 yards
6 TDs

This was a major case of paying for past performance.

I just hope the Giants have a plan in place to replace Cruz with a veteran FA. I would have liked to see Cruz stick around as the 4th WR. You'd think he would be a nice backup to Shepard and a guy that could play outside in a pinch. Hard to ignore some signs that we saw in 2016. The whole offense was weird so it was hard to judge Cruz I guess the Giants saw enough on tape to conclude the guy's done. He didn't get any separation on the outside...

So I presume the Giants are signing a vet FA.

In comment 13359197 Go Terps said:

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He's seemed, wisely, to have his mind on life after football for a while now. He and Nicks are lessons in how quickly things can change, and how important it is for the Giants to maintain a pipeline of fresh talent while remaining financially flexible. On July 8, 2013 Cruz signed a 5 year, $46 million dollar deal. Since that day here's what they got out of Cruz (4 total seasons): 35 games played 29 games missed 135 receptions 1921 yards 6 TDs This was a major case of paying for past performance.

Yup. After the 2011 SB, we thought we had a top 5 WR duo with Nicks & Cruz.

Seems so long ago.

Injuries ruined him. Good luck to him. Should be able to transition to a media career pretty easily.

we are making assumptions that Cruz wanted to come back. For all we know, the Giants came to him and offered him a paycut and incentives. When Cruz saw how he played out last year, and with Odell entering his contract years, and with Shepard in year 2, Cruz was not going to put up any numbers in this offense. He may well have said that he would like to move on. I honestly think that both sides realized that they thank each other for their joint success in the past, but it was time to go their separate ways.

but we all knew it was coming. He was due $9.4 million for '17, way too much to be the team's #4 receiver in catches. But the memories are golden and I wish him the best. I hope he finds a team with a good QB that puts him back in the slot where he belongs.

the guy was what...26 at the time? BArely ever injured. showing no signs of regression. You have a 30 year old QB. How do you not sign Cruz? Tough sell there. Easy to second guess now. Cruz was a safer bet than signing Snacks Harrison last spring. For starters, Cruz has produced as a Giant. Great off the field. Signing Cruz was a no brainer. It just blew up. Every signing is a risk. With inaction comes risk too.

2011 was magical. He was so good. He was OBJ before there was an OBJ.

Injuries and time... they remain undefeated

I really pulled for him this year after all he had been through; he never made it back to the old Victor. I wish him well on his next endeavor.

But bottom line, it's a business. This is a business decision. Successful teams make good business decisions.

not for long. Good Luck Victor.

which team do you think cruz signs with?

...as best as your interests don't conflict with ours.

It's the right decision. He can't operate on the outside and the future of the slot for us is Sheppard. Time to move on. His cap space will be spent much better elsewhere.

I'll never forget how he exploded on the scene or his incredible run in the Jets game and so many more moments. Including a Superbowl Championship.

The unfortunate side to the NFL... A move that had to be made.

The NFL does not keep players like Cruz on teams to be 4th WR. They almost always let the guy go to find something else. He could still work as a slot WR, but here, Shepard is better

He would be perfect for Cincy

when critics evaluate Eli, is what has happened to his receiving threats during his prime.

Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. All Super Bowl winners, all flashed huge potential and put up big seasons.

All 3 probably never able to realize their true potential due to injury.

Sad.

He had a short time as a great player, but he was a great Giant throughout his career.

In comment 13359124 JonC said:

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hoped they'd paycut one more time.

This

In comment 13359214 djm said:

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the guy was what...26 at the time? BArely ever injured. showing no signs of regression. You have a 30 year old QB. How do you not sign Cruz? Tough sell there. Easy to second guess now. Cruz was a safer bet than signing Snacks Harrison last spring. For starters, Cruz has produced as a Giant. Great off the field. Signing Cruz was a no brainer. It just blew up. Every signing is a risk. With inaction comes risk too.

Hey I was in the same boat at the time. I was pissed when they didn't bring back Manningham, as I thought they had a great thing with those three guys together. I wanted them all signed long term.

It turns out I could not have been more wrong.

Glad he was on our team. One of those fairy tale stories. Undrafted, local boy to Super bowl winner and Pro Bowler.

Thank You Victor!

One of my all time favorite Giants. Will be missed. All the Best!!!

my brother in law (season ticket for Jet owner) took me to the game. Fans were still in buying into Rex mode giving me "the business". Then 3rd and 10, late in the 2nd quarter, down 7-3, #80 with the 99 yard TD! Changed the game and was probably where the Superbowl was built upon!

Thank you Victor!