NFL Rumors: New York Giants Releasing Victor Cruz

NFL rumors have been surrounding Victor Cruz for much of the past two seasons because he has been mostly injured during that stretch. There was only so much time that the New York Giants can give him before they start needing a resolution. According to the New York Post, the Giants might be on the verge of cutting Cruz. The two sides are currently trying to hammer out a new deal that will please everyone involved.

While both sides are being very optimistic about a new deal being hammered out, there are no guarantees that it will happen. Right now, the belief is that they are trying to reduce the guarantees in the contract and replace them with incentives. That means that Victor Cruz would still make a good amount of money if he produces well on the field for the New York Giants, something that might not happen because of the injuries.

Regardless of what happens with Victor Cruz, the New York Giants will be spending some resources on the wide receiver position. Right now, the only surefire thing that they have on the roster is Odell Beckham Jr. Fortunately for the Giants, he happens to be one of the best young players in the entire NFL. Rueben Randle is receiving some interest in free agency, so he might not return to New York, and Dwayne Harris is still trying to prove that he’s more than just a returner.

There are some interesting options for the New York Giants available in the upcoming NFL Draft. Ole Miss Rebels star Laquon Treadwell might be the first wide receiver chosen, and he might be there when the Giants choose with the tenth pick. TCU Horned Frogs star Josh Doctson may be injury prone, but he’s a first round talent that might drop and be available when New York takes the podium in the second round.

Free agency might also be an avenue that the New York Giants take to cure their issues at wide receiver. Marvin Jones did a superb job for the Cincinnati Bengals, and the opportunity to play with Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. in a huge market might be enough to lure him away from Andy Dalton and AJ Green. Anquan Boldin is an extremely tough and reliable veteran, but the Giants might need to convince him that they are a better option than a return to the Baltimore Ravens.

It might be in the best interest of Victor Cruz to stick around with the New York Giants by accepting the terms of their reworked contract. Free agency might not be too kind to Cruz because other NFL teams are aware that he’s been on the sideline for quite some time now. They also know he doesn’t have a ton of leverage, so the contract offers might be a lot less than what Victor was hoping to see.

Victor Cruz might also need to check his ego if he wants to play in the NFL next season. He might very well make a full recovery and become one of the better wide receivers again. However, as of this moment, teams don’t know that for sure. Cruz will need to prove himself, and that might mean accepting a role as the third wide receiver. Doing well in that position and handling himself professionally would go a long way toward Victor being utilized as a second wide receiver again.

There have a been a lot of feel-good stories in sports where an athlete makes a heroic return from injuries to prove that he still has what it takes to compete with the best in the world. Victor Cruz is hoping he’s one of those stories.

[Featured Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images]