The New York Giants assigned a first-round tender to restricted free agent Victor Cruz, according to Rotoworld.
Giants rumors: Victor Cruz receives 1st-round tender
The Giants are hoping a first-round tender will slow down interested teams.
USA TODAY Sports
If another team wants to sign Cruz, they would have to surrender a top 32 draft pick in addition to giving him a new contract. The Giants hope assigning the first-round tender will keep teams from doing such a thing. However, there has been “a ton” of interest in Cruz, according to Big Blue View.
Cruz, 26, exploded on the scene in 2011 as Eli Manning's favorite wide receiver. In 16 games (seven starts), Cruz caught 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns. He averaged 18.7 yards per reception.
His 2012 season was still very good, but not as good as the previous year. Cruz caught 86 passes for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Giants have undergone a salary cap purge this offseason, but the team doesn’t intend for Cruz to be one of their victims. The team would like to lock up Cruz to a long-term deal if they can.
More in the NFL:
See More:
