Victor Cruz has never been shy about speaking his mind when it comes to the New York Giants, and his recent comments about rookie wideout Malik Nabers have set the bar sky-high for the franchise.
Cruz, a Super Bowl champion and former All-Pro, didn’t just shower Nabers with praise; he sent a clear message to Giants GM Joe Schoen: don’t mess this up.
"I love the way he catches the football, I love his explosiveness. I think he's an absolute superstar at the position, and we need to make sure that we cultivate that," Cruz said in a recent interview with FanSided. “He's earned the right to be in contention and be on a team that is in contention every year, so hopefully the Giants can provide that in years to come."
Coming from one of the most iconic receivers in franchise history, this isn’t just flattery—it’s a call to action.
Victor Cruz puts Joe Schoen's decision making to the task with Malik Nabers praise
For a franchise fresh off a 3-14 disaster, Cruz’s words carry weight. Malik Nabers’ record-breaking rookie season was a rare beacon of hope, showcasing his ability to shine despite chaos at the quarterback position and a struggling offensive system.
He posted over 1,200 receiving yards, broke multiple team rookie records, and established himself as the focal point of an otherwise sputtering offense.
But as Cruz knows all too well, even superstar talent can be squandered without the right support. His own career overlapped with the Giants' decline post-2012, and the franchise’s inability to maintain a consistent contender wasted years of elite-level play from players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Saquon Barkley.
Cruz’s challenge to Schoen is as much a warning as it is a pep talk.
The Giants have one job this offseason: find a quarterback who can fully utilize Nabers’ talents and build an offense that won’t waste his truly special talents—this kid is going to be a star. Cruz’s comments make it clear—Malik Nabers is the type of player you build a team around, not a star you leave to fend for himself in a dysfunctional system. Schoen has no margin for error here.
The decisions made this offseason and beyond will determine whether Nabers becomes a franchise cornerstone—or just another Giants great who left wondering what could have been.
Wasting Nabers' talents would be a colossal disaster.