The Giants held their first offseason workout on Monday and there was one noticeable absence: Victor Cruz. The wide receiver didn't show up for the Giants first day of voluntary workouts, according USA Today. Given his contract situation, Cruz's absence wasn't a huge surprise.
The Giants extended Cruz a first-round tender in mid-March and the two sides have been at a stalemate ever since. If Cruz signed the tender, he'd make $2.879 million in 2013, a far cry from the $10 to $11 million he's reportedly seeking. The Giants offered Cruz a long-term contract worth over $7 million a season last month, but Cruz turned that down.
The other 31 NFL teams can sign Cruz up until April 19, but the chances of that happening are pretty slim. For one, Cruz wants to stay in New York -- you know, to work with Jay-Z -- and two, any team that signs Cruz would have to surrender their first round pick to the Giants if the Giants chose not to match the other team's offer.
Although Cruz wasn't at the voluntary workout, it's not like he's completely abandoned the team. The fourth-year wide receiver caught passes from Giants quarterback Eli Manning at Duke last week and was photographed at the team's practice facilities by punter Steve Weatherford on April 8.
Cruz's unresolved contract situation has turned his quarterback into a nervous wreck, "I check the papers every morning to make sure no one else has offered him a contract. It is nerve-racking," Manning said.
Manning has already said he'd be willing to redo his deal if it would help get Cruz under contract.
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