PLENTY TO SMILE ABOUT: Victor Cruz will pull in $15.6 million in guaranteed money paid out within two years, including an immediate signing bonus of $9.5 million. (Anthony J. Causi)
On the day his dreams came true, on the day he secured his place with his hometown Giants for years to come and banked riches that not long ago were beyond his wildest imagination, Victor Cruz paused to reflect on the winding journey that led him to a pot of gold.
Cruz, the popular 26-year-old, salsa-dancing receiver, yesterday signed a five-year contract extension that will keep him with the Giants until after the 2018 season.
“You work 26 years, ups and downs, back and forth, trials and tribulations, everything that went into high school, college, even in the NFL getting hurt my rookie year, you work that hard to get to this one day,’’ Cruz said. “This one day to sign that deal and be set potentially for the rest of your life and have your family taken care of and you just feel good about it. My whole life has been a blessing.’’
After a civil offseason filled with behind-the-scenes negotiating and no outward acrimony, Cruz finally walked into the Giants’ facility to attend to business after the July 4 weekend. In addition to the one-year tender he signed last month, this five-year extension essentially makes Cruz’s haul a six-year, $45.879 million deal — the richest the franchise has given a receiver — that ends when Cruz will be 32. He gets $15.6 million in guaranteed money paid out within two years, including an immediate signing bonus of $9.5 million. His salary for this season is the veteran minimum $630,000, enabling the Giants to fit Cruz neatly into their 2013 salary cap with room to spare.
“We are pleased to have this behind us,’’ general manager Jerry Reese said. “Now Victor can focus on football. Training camp is approaching quickly, and we all have a lot of work to do to get back where we want to be.”
Cruz said he was “smiling from ear to ear the whole time.’’ And why not? The average of $7.65 million for the six years makes Cruz the NFL’s 18th highest-paid receiver, well short of the $10 million per year bonanza Cruz initially was hoping for. But it’s not bad for a kid from Paterson, N.J., who nearly washed out of college at the University of Massachusetts, entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and blossomed into a star essentially in his own backyard.
“It was very important, not just for the team and the Giants, but for my family being from here, for the people from Paterson, for the kids that look to me in this area, all of that played a part into this,’’ Cruz said.
This deal has been on the table for quite some time. The Giants held firm and did not make any substantial increases to the proposal co-owner John Mara months ago said would make Cruz “a very wealthy young man.’’
The Giants did not blink as Cruz hit the market as a restricted free agent, and Cruz admitted he did not receive a single offer from another team. As expected, he stayed away from all team activities this offseason, which was difficult for him.
“I just felt like it was time,’’ Cruz said of deciding to sign the deal. “I was talking to my agent [Tom Condon], and he was doing the best he could going back and forth, talking to Jerry and the people he needed to speak with. And he came to me, I said, ‘You know what? I am done with the back and forth, what’s on the table’s a really good deal, I’m really excited about it and it’s going to provide security for my family for a very long time.’ ’’
Cruz surprisingly made the Giants roster in 2010, but hurt his hamstring and spent the entire season on injured reserve. He burst onto the scene in 2011 and became a catalyst in the Super Bowl run. He has been extremely durable — not missing a game the past two years — and prolific, catching 168 passes for 2,628 yards and 19 touchdowns over that span. In the past two seasons, Cruz ranked ninth in the NFL in receptions, fifth in receiving yards and eighth in TDs.
For all that, Cruz made the NFL minimum salaries his first three years, making $1.23 million in base salary until he cashed in.
“I think my deal is tremendous,’’ Cruz said. “I don’t want to play anywhere else. I just wanted my family to be taken care of and I get to play in this city for a very long time, so I’m excited.”