New York Giants: 15 best free agent acquisitions of all-time
By Curt Macysyn
7. player. 31. . Wide Receiver. 2010-16. Victor Cruz
- Member of Super Bowl XLVI championship team
- Caught touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLVI
- Selected to Pro Bowl after 2012 season
- NFL record 99-yard touchdown catch in 2011
Some Giants fans may be dismayed that undrafted free agent Victor Cruz isn’t higher on this list. Those folks need to remember that Cruz’s impact, while significant, in reality lasted only three seasons with Big Blue.
Hard-core fan loyalty to Cruz is understandable, since he grew up in nearby Paterson, New Jersey According to Pro Football Reference, Cruz played in 70 games with the New York Giants with 53 starts.
His best season, by far, came in 2011, when he had 82 catches for 1,536 receiving yards and nine touchdown grabs. Included in his nine touchdown catches was an NFL record 99-yard catch-and-carry against the New York Jets that proved to be a springboard for the G-Men to make the NFL playoffs that season.
Later that season, Cruz also caught a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVI, as the Giants beat the New England Patriots 21-17 in Indianapolis. That proved to be the high point of Cruz’s NFL career.
Unfortunately, Cruz suffered a severe knee injury in a 2014 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and over a year and a half of playing time. He returned to the team in 2016, but he was simply not the same player. The team cut their homegrown star after the 2016 season.
Cruz’s star burned brightly on the NFL biggest stage for a brief, but highly productive, period. And the NFL will always remember his patented salsa dance after scoring a touchdown.