After breakout year, Cruz angles for raise
Victor Cruz arrives at Steiner Sports in New Rochelle to sign Super Bowl memorabilia. (Feb. 9, 2012) Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
Victor Cruz said success will not go to his head, even as he spends a crazy couple of days having Madonna imitate his dance moves, scoring a touchdown in and winning a Super Bowl, opening Fashion Week in New York and flying to California to present a Grammy Award.
"You just kind of understand it's going to be a whirlwind in the beginning, all of the appearances and stuff like that," the Giants receiver said. "But after that, it's about coming back, being the same old you, taking the same garbage out at my mother's house and doing the same old things."
The big question now is: Will he be playing under the same old contract?
Cruz, who had a breakout season in which he became one of the NFL's top receivers, earned a base salary of $450,000 in 2011. He's under contract for one more year, and he's scheduled to earn $490,000 in 2012.
That's not the kind of contract that would make a good receiver dance, much less salsa.
"With what I did this year statistically, the records and everything like that, obviously, I feel just looking at the top players in the league and looking at what I did this year, I feel naturally there should be an increase in pay," he said Thursday at an autograph signing in New Rochelle.
The question is: Will he get that raise? Or will he have to play another season on his undrafted rookie contract before the Giants -- or some other team -- offer him a big-time deal?
The Giants are under no obligation to give him a new deal, other than a possible desire to keep him happy. They might even find themselves negotiating with two of their top three receivers as Mario Manningham heads into free agency.
"We're in the early stages of our evaluating the team as a whole, individually," general manager Jerry Reese said Thursday. "We have not yet discussed anything with respect to salaries."
Cruz seemed uncomfortable talking about a raise, but in several television and Internet appearances throughout the day, he made reference to a desire for a new contract.
"My agents and guys like that will work out all of that stuff," he said. "I just take care of the football aspect and those guys will take care of the contract, so we'll see."
Cruz said he won't change his attitude or outlook, but there's a good chance opposing defenses will. He's no longer a surprise player who will catch other teams off guard. Even in the Super Bowl, a wired-for-sound Bill Belichick was recorded as saying the focus of the Patriots' defense was to stop Cruz and Hakeem Nicks. So will Cruz be as productive in 2012?
"I hope so," he said. "That's always the plan. You want to go in and do all those good things and keep up the same consistency. But at the same time, we understand that teams are going to be knowing about me now and not naive to 'Oh, he's just good in this game, that game.' We'll see how it goes. I'll take it game by game and week by week."
Coincidentally, that's how NFL players' paychecks are doled out, too. Cruz is not looking for consistency in that area.
