Giants look back as Victor Cruz retires from NFL

Victor Cruz announced Tuesday morning that he is officially retiring from the NFL.

After years of trying to come back from a devastating knee injury suffered against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, Cruz is finally calling it a career. Though he was never able to regain his pre-injury form and retire on his own terms, Cruz is a smart, charismatic young man who is still incredibly well-regarded around the league. He has other skills upon which he can fall back and will be joining ESPN as a football analyst.

Giants look back at Cruz’s career

Pat Shurmur wasn’t with the Giants during Cruz’s career, but still took time on Tuesday to acknowledge Cruz’s accomplishments.

Quarterback Eli Manning also talked about Cruz on Tuesday.

Retrospective

The former New York Giants wide receiver first exploded on to the scene as an unknown undrafted free agent out of UMass with a spectacular three-touchdown game against the New York Jets.

A hamstring injury kept Cruz off the field that season, and a shaky performance in training camp had him on the roster bubble to start the 2011 season. But with Steve Smith leaving to join the Eagles, and injuries to Domenik Hixon and Brandon Stokley forced the Giants to turn to Cruz to man the slot receiver position. It was a historic decision as Cruz’s precise route running, natural chemistry with Eli Manning, and explosive ability after the catch proved to be the spark that ignited the Giants’ passing game and powered them to the Super Bowl.

Cruz’s career didn’t end the way any of us wanted it to, and I know I will always wonder what could have been had Cruz been healthy for the start of Odell Beckham Jr.’s career.

However, Cruz will continue to be a beloved figure in Giants’ history, and I think I speak for every Giants’ fan when I say I wish him nothing but the best in the next chapter of his life.