By Jordan Long
The New York Giants are freeing up salary space. They have released wide receiver Victor Cruz. New York will save $10 million against the salary cap to use on free agents.
Cruz ended his 6th NFL season, all with the New York Giants. Cruz was one of Eli Manning’s favorite targets. He had his best season in 2011, which was his rookie year. Cruz ended up with 1,536 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. The next year he also surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark with 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was off to an excellent start to his NFL career.
In 2014 he played in a career low 6 games. He tore his patellar tendon in his right knee in week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles. In those 6 games Cruz was productive with 377 yards and 1 touchdown. The Giants were hoping to have him back in 2015. That didn’t happen as he was still recovering from the injury.
This past season, Cruz appeared in 15 games as well as the postseason game. In the regular season he caught 39 passes for 586 yards and one touchdown. In the playoff loss to the Packers, Cruz had 3 catches for 30 yards. It was time to move on from him since Cruz isn’t a number one wide out anymore.
Cruz has proven he can still play at a high level. Another team may want him because he rarely drops the football and can gain first downs or touchdowns. Cruz could still be in a Giants’ uniform next season at a reduced salary. They know how valuable he is. The problem is Cruz may receive a better deal from another NFL team. The Giants are taking a risk by releasing him.
What do you think of the New York Giants letting Victor Cruz go?
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