Cruz a holdout? He says no

Victor Cruz is underpaid, but he’s not going to make a big stink about it.

The Giants receiver who is scheduled to earn $490,000 in base salary in 2012 wants an extension and a raise that would pay him like other top receivers in the game, but one thing he will not do, he said on Tuesday, is hold out.

“Not at all,” he vowed. “That’s not in my vocabulary. I don’t even know what it means.”

Cruz, who became one of the NFL’s most productive receivers in 2011 and helped the Giants win a Super Bowl, would have good reason to be upset about his salary, which is based on the contract e signed as an undrafted rookie free agent. He’s also one of the league’s most popular players and was selected to be the face of the Giants at the Nike uniform unveiling in Brooklyn. In a room full of superstar players, Cruz attracted the most media attention by far and also likely has the thinnest checkbook.

But, he said, he knows his payday will come eventually.

“You just have to remain humble and remain yourself and understand that all the good things are going to come to you in time,” he said. “You just have to keep doing what you’re doing, remain positive at all time, and the good things will come … Regardless of how short-term this career can be, I just want to go out there and play and all of this stuff will take care of itself.”