The Giants and wide receiver Victor Cruz did a lot of talking before they reached agreement on the five-year extension that Cruz signed on Monday, but it wasn’t a new offer that persuaded Cruz to put his name on the dotted line.
Speaking on a conference call Monday afternoon, Cruz said, via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, that it would have been “difficult” for him to play out the entire 2013 season under the restricted free agent tender offered by the Giants because of the amount of questions he would have faced about his future. He also said he “got tired of the back and forth” and decided to sign the deal that the Giants had on the table to ensure he remained with the team for the long haul.
Cruz also said that he didn’t receive any offers from other teams before the spring deadline for restricted free agents to shop their wares to other teams, which means there was never much doubt about where he’d be in 2013. The same can’t be said of Hakeem Nicks, who is set to become a free agent after the season although Cruz said he was planning to start lobbying his fellow wideout to stick around for a few more years.
There should be room for a Nicks deal alongside the one that Cruz signed on Monday, but it likely won’t be an easy negotiation. That’s another story for another offseason, though. Today’s about Cruz and the deal that will keep the New Jersey native right at home for years to come.