Eli Manning reported to the start of the Giants' offseason program this week without his leading receiver in each of the past two seasons.
And the Giants quarterback doesn't expect to see receiver Victor Cruz until Cruz and the Giants reach agreement on a long-term deal.
"I have a feeling I’ll see Victor here when the contract’s done," Manning said today in a press conference at Giants headquarters. "That’s my gut feel, and I could be wrong. If he’s back here earlier, then that will be a bonus."
Asked if he referred to a long-term deal, Manning said, "I would think so. I think that’s the goal."
Cruz is a restricted free agent and has not yet signed his first-round tender. The deadline for other teams to submit offer sheets is Friday.
Manning, who along with Cruz is represented by CAA's Tom Condon, said he would not prod Cruz or suggest he attend the voluntary offseason program.
"He’s got to do what is in the best interests of him, and that’s usually staying away and putting pressure to try to get the deal done," Manning said.
Manning said he has also not spoken with the Giants front office about getting the Cruz deal done.
"I think they know Victor's importance, and his play the last two years has shown that," Manning said.
He added: "I think they want him back, it’s just a matter of finding that line of the worth and dealing with the salary cap and all those issues to get him back at a good price. Hopefully all that gets worked out sooner than later, so he can get here, and we can continue to work and do everything we've got to do to have a strong run this year."
Cruz participated in a workout at Duke University last week with Manning, Hakeem Nicks and Louis Murphy, which Manning hopes is a good sign of Cruz's desire to get a deal worked out with the Giants.
"I hope so, I hope he wants to be here," Manning said. "But obviously, they’ve got the contract to work out, they’ve got things to figure out. So I can’t concern myself with that. When that gets worked out he’ll come back to work."
No comments:
Post a Comment