Source: Cruz training-camp holdout still possible

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Fresh on the heels of the news that Giants receiver Victor Cruz will sign today his one-year, $2.879 million restricted free agency tender while still trying to get a long-term deal, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that a training-camp holdout is still possible.

Since Cruz is now under contract, he will be subject to fines in the amount of $30,000 per day if he doesn’t show.  But he potentially would have lost $2.289 million if the Giants had rescinded the restricted free agency tender on Monday and replaced it with an offer of $590,000.

At $30,000 per day, Cruz can afford 76 days of fines before he’d rack up $2.289 million.

The source also said there were no indications the Giants would strip the $2.879 million offer.  Still, Cruz wasn’t comfortable taking the risk.

Last year, Steelers receiver Mike Wallace let it ride, and the Steelers chose not to exercise the one-day-only right to replace the high tender with an amount equal to 110 percent of what the player earned the prior year.

33 responses to “Source: Cruz training-camp holdout still possible

  1. If he holds out even a day … then they should just move on. There’s still time, but he’s starting to look like the typical WR problem child. And that never ends well.

  2. As a Packer fan I actually liked this guy, but now his past seems to have all been an act. He’s a TO wanna be. Glad he’s a Giant problem.

  3. .

    Cruz is the new Tebow. I’m hopeful that we can get the minute by minute coverage that Belichick denied us.

    .

  4. I think this is the best option he had…. He can still hold out during training camp, keeping any leverage he has left.. its obvious that he wants to remain with the Giants. But in this day and age of the NFL a player has to maximize their pay day while they can, the owners hardly ever hold up their end of a contract… so why should the players…..

  5. I’m sure it is. Why would it not be? He does not want to get hurt in a meaningless practice and I do not blame him. I’m a huge Giants fan but gotta side with the player here even though both sides have done this by the book. I have to imagine this plays out the way it did before the 2008 season, when Plaxico Burress was given a new deal towards the end and was back for the season opener. The main difference being the types of men these two are; namely that Cruz is one and Plax, sad to say, is not.

  6. hrmlss, he will be the Packers problem later this season when they come to Met Life to be reminded who their daddy is. Hard to see how he is a T.O. wannabe. Cruz is a champion who has performed at a high level for two years now. Not to mention, he has not been outspoken at all this entire time, letting it play out behind the scenes where it should be instead of in the press, despite their best efforts. Would you not want your compensation to change if you were in his shoes?

  7. He won’t miss any training camp. Reese is usually pretty good at getting things done in timely manner while simultaneously making sure the Giants maximizes benefits while minimizing risks.

  8. This is the business side of football. He’s being told what to do by his agent, because that’s what an agent does best. Once Cruz suits up, he’s gonna do what he does best, and thats ‘s salsa dancing!!

  9. @NYGF – wells said.

    I love the “as a Packers fan I actually liked this guy”. Who cares if you like the Packers? Cruz is a top receiver negotiating a contract. When you come out of nowhere, light up the league, win a Super Bowl, say all the right things and act like a pro, what’s not to like?

  10. Victor Cruz may be one of the most underpaid players in the NFL. If I was him I’d hold out as well, there’s no use of going to OTAs and risking a Michael Crabtree type injury because then they wouldn’t want to pay him at all. He needs to demand his money because he’s out played this contract and if the Giants don’t want to give it to him another team will! In the NFL you gotta strike while the iron’s hot because its injury rate are so prevalent. Think Steve Smith that played for the Giants, this guy is now out of the league

  11. Now that he signed his tender if we can’t reach a long term deal we should trade him. We can afford only one guy anyway. Giants fans know Nicks is the better WR and after what Nicks said when he came back it’s quite clear that he wants to be a Giant and Cruz doesn’t. Sign Nicks!!! Trade Cruz!!!

  12. It blows my mind when it’s broken down like that. A little over 2 million sounds modest until you realize he will make in 16 games what the average working class football fan will make if he works 60 plus years.

  13. Thank you @ toes110. Somebody who actually has some semblance of common sense. How is Cruz the problem when he’s produced big for the giants the past three seasons, how is Cruz turning into a NFL diva when the giants aren’t doing right by him? Some of you clowns make no sense, and how would you feel if you were in his shoes? The same way so stop hypocrisy people…

  14. The thing that worries me is kinda like the Joe Flacco effect. We should sign him now like the Ravens should’ve signed Flacco last year, cause if Cruz has another stellar year his pricetag will get even higher than he wants now. This whole “slot receive” tag he’s been given shouldn’t devalue what his importance and ability on the field and to the organization. Just my opinion though

  15. I know the season is 3 months away and am not jumping the gun but currently the 2 top wr’s are disgruntled and the top defensive player is questionble for week 1. Not a lot of positive news right now.

  16. I’m sorry, but when you produce a rumor this nonsensical, you’ve got to name your source.

    There is zero, zip, nada, logical rationale for him to sign the tender if he intends to hold out. Why set himself up to be fined? If he has no intention of playing for the tender, why would he care if they took it away? Why worry about losing money you have no intention of accepting?

    The reason I say you should name your source is because when someone puts something out there with no basis in logic, it would be helpful to know their motivation. Agent? Reporter? Team official?

    Inquiring minds want to know. And in a case like this, probably deserve to.

  17. It’s about time these players sack up and hold out deep into the season to show these teams what they’re missing instead of playing on risky one-year contracts from year to year. Nicks and Cruz should both hold out together and dare the Giants to compete without them. After they go 0-3, they’ll see Mara open up the checkbook quick! This coming from a Giants’ fan.

  18. He’ll sign at or near training for close to Giants’ current offer but for 3 years. Thus, he’ll bank some nice coin and bet on a big(ger) 2d contract while he’s still young. Giants can also keep Nicks. Contracts of Tuck, Snee, Diel, Joseph, Rolle and Webster all off the books next year and they won’t keep any of them (except possibly Joseph)

  19. So if he signs this tender solely to prevent the team from cutting the offer amount back, and then holds out, can the team cut it back after such a blatant manipulation of the rules ?

  20. Most of these comments are completely off base and the comparison to TO is quite idiotic.

    Stop comparing his pay to a school teacher. Compare his pay to others doing his work. He was been significantly underpaid for two straight years and NFL players take home about 60% of their “salary” after state and federal taxes, player association fees, agents fees, insurance, etc.

    Arian Foster was underpaid for years and the Texans never franchise tagged him because his play earned him a legitimate contract. I see no difference with Cruz. He outplayed his contract, and rightfully wants some security and respect that comes along with a legitimate contract.

    Texans = class organization.
    Giants should be condemned for being this slimy with Cruz.

  21. This is my argument on Facebook:
    There was just another report the giants offered him a long term deal for 8 million a year (he’s looking for 9 million) and he turned it down. 8 million is a lot if money. 8 million is top money for a slot reciever. He’s getting greedy now and Steve smith former giant is a good example what happens when u leave money on the table. Steve smith = 1 good year for giants aka 6 years in the league now retired. Enough said

  22. @dylude: Cruz’s situation isn’t really comparable to Foster’s, aside from the fact that they are undrafted FAs outplaying their contracts. For Foster, it’s not hard to determine his salary value as an every-down bellcow RB. That makes it easy for both sides to assign a value to him and hammer out a deal. For Cruz, as a slot WR, it’s nowhere near that easy to determine his value. Cruz is a gamebreaker and puts up huge stats and he (and his agent) see that as being worth top #1 receiver money. The Giants see him as a strict slot WR that wouldn’t succeed nearly as much if he played on the outside. They look at what other teams pay top slot receivers and believe that’s what his value is. So, you see, it’s not that Cruz is a diva or that the Giants have no class and don’t take care of their players… It’s that both sides have very different ideas of what Cruz is worth.

  23. The slot WR argument is dumb. Cruz doesn’t make his living running shallow crossing routes and 5 yd slants. He runs outside receiver routes from the slot position and puts up killer numbers doing so. He’s got one chance in his life to hit the lottery and I’d encourage him to sit out as long as it takes to get the amount he’s comfortable with.

  24. Def should hold out. Giant management has always had an issue paying their players. Look at Steve smith for one. The poor guy feel into the “do what’s best for the team trap” and now he will be working for the rest of his life with a bum knee.

  25. @nygf – Cruz is a man and plax is not??

    Are you kidding? I hope so. I run a charity for children in need, Cruz came every year till he hit it big, now he is no where to be found….doesn’t even make a donation — while Plaxico has been there, year in, hear out. Cruz isn’t a man at all

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