NY Giants Victor Cruz Announces NFL Retirement

Victor Cruz Announces NFL Retirement

Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz has just announced his retirement from the NFL. But this is by no means the end of the road for him and he is certainly not taking a holiday just yet.

In a video posted to UNINTERRUPTED’s YouTube channel, Cruz not only announced his retirement, but also a new contract with sports channel ESPN as an analyst.

From humble beginnings as an undrafted NFL hopeful to his rise to fame as one of the Giants most popular players, Cruz has already realized the dreams of many.

However, after his release from the Giants’ team in 2017, Cruz signed with the Chicago Bears, only to be cut in the preseason. After a year of waiting for a call that never came, Cruz realized that another NFL offer was not on the cards and he made the difficult decision of retiring from professional football.

Cruz Nostalgic Over Giants Beginnings

Cruz, now 31, spent 7 seasons with the New York Giants where he emerged as one of the franchise’s most popular players. Not only was he known for his dedication to his team, but his salsa dancing in the end zone to celebrate touchdowns made him one the most recognisable players in the NFL today.

Even though he went on to help the Giants win the Super Bowl in the 2011 season, when asked what his most unforgettable moment is with the team, Cruz instantaneously goes back to his memory of being an undrafted long shot from Paterson, New Jersey – a popular moment amongst online betting enthusiasts.

Cruz left everyone in awe during a preseason game against the Jets and remembers it fondly: “I close my eyes, when I go back. It's always the first one: preseason game, rookie year, up the sideline, first catch ever, first anything, against the Jets. For that one to be a touchdown out of the gate, it was like, my season, my career could have ended right there, and I had already accomplished so much.”

Time to Call It a Day

Rising to stardom with the Giants, Cruz was a team fixture since August 2010, celebrating his touchdowns with his signature salsa dance and taking the Giants to a 2011 Super Bowl win.

Following his release from the New York City team, Cruz signed with the Chicago Bears last summer but was sadly cut in the preseason. Cruz then spent a year waiting for another NFL offer that never came.

As Cruz stated, “When a year passes without a phone call, that's kind of the wakeup call…that's the biggest lesson I've learned: you have your moment when you make it to the top, and mine came so quickly.

Everything's great, your career is ascending, and then in a blink of an eye…I'm done. That's what the league is telling me."

Thrilled to Be Part of ESPN Family

Cruz could clearly not be more thrilled to be joining the “championship team” at ESPN. “I’m excited to get started and share my insight and analysis with the viewers and fans of the NFL.” Cruz will make his ESPN debut on Wednesday, August 22nd.