Contract discussions between the New York Giants and restricted free agent wide receiver Victor Cruz have hit a snag, according to ESPN's Ed Werder, who delivered the news Friday on "NFL Live." (via Rotoworld.)
Victor Cruz, Giants reportedly hit stalemate in contract talks
There appears to be a gap between what Cruz is asking for and what the trends of the league are setting salaries at for slot receivers.
Al Bello
Werder says the issue stems from Cruz’s asking price, thought to be around $8 million a year, compared to the other elite slot receivers across the league.
Here's Werder laying out Cruz's situation, compared to one of the game's best, Denver Broncos wideout Wes Welker:
“The issue here is that Cruz is one of the dominant slot receivers in football. But none of the slot receivers in the NFL rank among the top-salaried receivers. It’s all outside receivers. So he’s put in a situation with his agent Tom Condon, they’ve gotta convince the Giants that he should make more money than say, Wes Welker.”
Welker is set to make $6 million per season over his two-year deal with Denver.
The leverage on Cruz's side? With him missing organized team activities, along with wideout Hakeem Nicks, the Giants are practicing with Rueben Randle as the team's No. 1 wideout. The other thing is, as Werder notes, Cruz is one of the best slot guys in the league: in 2012, he caught 86 passes for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns, which followed up his breakout 2011 season where he caught 82 balls for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns.
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