Giants place first-round tender on Victor Cruz, who hires new agent

Mike Garafolo, USA TODAY Sports | USATODAY

NEW YORK — The New York Giants have given Pro Bowl receiver Victor Cruz a restricted free agent tender at the first-round level, team president and CEO John Mara told reporters in Manhattan on Monday.

Mara realizes the team is gambling a bit by exposing the breakout star to the market and offering him a one-year deal for $2.879 million, though he's hopeful the team that pays Cruz in the end will be the Giants.

"Certainly, we're taking a risk. But we would still have to right to match, and if we decided not to do that, we're getting a first-round draft pick out of it," Mara said following a press conference at 30 Rock to announce the NFL's new partnership with GE to contribute $40 million to concussion-prevention research.

"So yeah, it is a risk for us, and he is an exciting, dynamic player. It's not going to shock me if somebody makes him an offer."

Mara added of the undrafted free agent out of UMass, "Listen, he's been a great player for us. Like we do with all of our players, there's a limit as to how far we're going to go on a contract. You have to pay 53 (players), and if the money goes over that limit, we have to make a decision. But we feel we're in a good position now. We've tendered him.

"If somebody wants to make him an offer, we'll evaluate whether it makes sense for us. My hope is he's a Giant for many years."

Cruz could have an easier time soliciting outside offers now, informing USA TODAY Sports that he's hired super agent Tom Condon, who also represents Giants quarterback Eli Manning and linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka. Condon has successfully negotiated deals keeping both of them in New York.

Cruz, a native of nearby Paterson, N.J., hopes to remain with the team as well. He is connected with the Latin community in the area, he's become a star off the field in the fashion and music industry, and he's fit into the New York offense extremely well.

But this is a business decision for both sides, not to mention other teams. Parting with a first-round pick is prohibitive to many and the primary reason that Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Mike Wallace didn't go anywhere as a restricted free agent a year ago.

"I think Victor is smart enough to realize that he belongs in this area," Mara said. "I think he's done very well for himself off the field. He's a very popular player here. He's had a lot of off-the-field opportunities. So hopefully all those other things will enter into his consideration."

One consideration Mara need not worry about is a "poison pill" type contract the Minnesota Vikings used to secure Seattle Seahawks all-pro guard Steve Hutchinson in 2006. Such virtually unmatchable offers — Seattle's salary cap would have been wrecked had it matched Minnesota's offer sheet — have been negated by a clause in the new collective bargaining agreement.

"Yes, that was a big part of our negotiation a couple of years ago because we wanted to take out the Hutchinson type of deals," Mara said, adding the new rule "gives you a little bit more comfort, where if somebody does come forward with an offer, it gives you a fair chance to match it if you decide to do that."

Cruz surely hopes Mara and the Giants realize they received 168 catches for 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns in the regular season (plus 21 receptions for 296 yards and a Super Bowl touchdown in the postseason last year) all for the low, low price of $990,000 over the past two seasons, combined.

Mara is grateful for that production, though he won't let any thoughts of charity cloud the team's judgment. And he can't, knowing there are other players (including Cruz's fellow starting wide receiver Hakeem Nicks), who have to be paid as well.

"Well, you can't make an emotional decision," he said. "Listen, it was a very difficult thing for me to say goodbye to (running back) Ahmad Bradshaw. It was very difficult for me to say goodbye to (center) Shaun O'Hara and (guard) Rich Seubert and guys like that.

"You know, if you let your emotions get in the way then you end up in the place that we were in the 1970s and I'm not going back there."

Mara declined to specify whether right tackle David Diehl has been asked to take a pay cut from his $4.475 million base salary. He also indicated there haven't been any in-depth discussions about tinkering with quarterback Eli Manning's contract yet.

Mara is hoping the Giants will somehow, some way find the money to pay Cruz before the start of this coming season.

"You can't worry about the player's popularity, because at the end of the day, the fans want to win," Mara said. "They want you to build an organization that's going to be in contention every year, and if you overpay for players, it's going to hurt you in other areas.

"Listen, I'll say it again: he's been a great player for us, we'd love to have him back. But you have to place a value on these contracts, and we have and hopefully, at some point, we'll be able to reach an agreement."

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