Victor Cruz doesn't want to save his last dance.

The salsa-dancing former Giants star, who was released by the Bears in September, told NJ Advance Media that he hopes to get back into the NFL in 2018.

"I'm not retired just yet," Cruz said by phone from the Super Bowl. "I'm going to give it one more shot and see what's out there, see what's in the market for me and if I can get into anybody's camp. If not, we'll see where it goes after that and take the necessary steps."

The NFL team most in need of midseason wide receiver help was the Giants, who lost Odell Beckham, Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris to season-ending injuries and had Sterling Shepard in and out of the lineup on a week-to-week basis.

A reunion with Cruz, who had 303 receptions for 4,549 yards and 25 touchdowns in 70 career games with the Giants, seemed to make too much sense not to happen.

But it never did, maybe because Cruz and then-coach Ben McAdoo disagreed on how things played out in 2016.

Was Cruz as surprised as everybody else when his phone didn't ring?

"Naturally, I was surprised, being that I knew the offense and was just there a few months ago at that point," Cruz said. "I was a little bit surprised just as a normal human being just as everybody else I came across was surprised as they (said) to me everywhere I go."

The former Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion was released by the Giants last February after he fought his way back from two devastating injuries for a 39-catch season in 2016.

"I think I proved that (healthy) in the last year with the Giants," Cruz said. "I was still making game-changing plays throughout that year, although they came few and far between.

"I still feel like I've got a lot left in the tank. I'll continue to prepare the same way I've prepared all these years prior and give it one more shot."

Cruz was at the Super Bowl as part of a partnership with Verizon Innovative Learning to teach students the skills needed to participate in the sports industry without being a star athlete. The Victor Cruz Foundation promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) programming.

Cruz surprised students at a Minneapolis-based middle school Wednesday and introduced them to Verizon's mobile Explorer Lab combining 360-degree movie-quality video, special effects and hands-on educational gaming to transport students to simulated environments.

"They got on TVs and tablets and pretty much got to be on Mars and figure out how to navigate through Mars with these robotics that are on the planet virtually," Cruz said. "Verizon put their money where their mouth is and invested $200 million in these children and STEM education.

"I have resources through my foundation that allows STEM programs to go to the kids through Boys and Girls Club (of America). The partnership just makes sense."

Check back Thursday morning for more on Cruz and the Giants.

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.