The Giants descended upon East Rutherford this morning for the start of their offseason program this morning, but one player was notably absent: Victor Cruz.
The receiver, a restricted free agent, was not seen driving in and is not currently in the building, per a person with knowledge of his absence today. That person requested anonymity because the team does not announce attendance for the voluntary workout program. Players were due in the building by 11:30 a.m. today for the program's start.
There is no penalty for not showing up, but Cruz's absence likely reflects on his current unsettled contract situation. Cruz has not yet signed his $2.879 million first-round tender, nor have he and the Giants been able to reach agreement on a long-term deal. Ben Dogra, one of Cruz's agents at CAA, could not be reached for comment on Cruz's absence.
Opposing teams have until April 19 -- this Friday -- to sign Cruz to a competing offer sheet. It's possible he could be waiting for this window to close before reporting or signing his tender, or he could have another plan in mind. Players are permitted to participate in the offseason workout program without signing their restricted free-agent tenders.
The offseason program begins with a strength and conditioning phase before on-field work. Players arrived in waves for workout sessions this morning, including quarterback Eli Manning at 7:22 a.m.
Other notable attendees observed arriving at team headquarters this morning are right guard Chris Snee (coming off hip surgery), receiver Hakeem Nicks (coming off a knee scope) and running back Andre Brown (also a restricted free agent). Snee called out to reporters playfully, "I'm working out!"
When cornerback Prince Amukamara saw a pair of reporters at the guard gate leading into Giants headquarters, he made the connection, asking, "Waiting for Cruz?"
So are the Giants.
Cruz's absence may not be a major issue at this point. However, two of last year's team captains said they hoped Cruz -- their leading receiver each of the past two seasons -- would be there as the Giants commence their first team-wide workouts since the end of a disappointing 9-7 season.
"He hasn’t said anything as far as why he wouldn’t be there, even though, obviously, the contract situation," defensive end Justin Tuck said last week. "I think the biggest way to get things settled is to be there in good faith, I guess. But I can’t answer questions for Victor, he has to do what’s best for him."
Manning also told ESPN last week, "I know he wants everything to get finished and be with the Giants and get back to work." Manning spent last week working out with three Giants receivers, including Cruz, at Duke University.
Cruz was tendered by the Giants before the start of free agency last month, and around the same time, also switched representation from Malik Shareef to CAA. Rapper and mogul Jay-Z, also Cruz's friend, recently launched a sports management company in conjunction with CAA, and the agency confirmed to Yahoo! Sports that Jay-Z helped it land Cruz as a client.
The Giants and Cruz's camp -- Condon also represents Manning -- are believed to be far apart in the financial terms of a potential long-term deal for Cruz. Co-owner John Mara said in March (before Cruz switched to CAA) that if the receiver were to accept the Giants' offer, "he'd be a very wealthy young man."
At this point, reading into Cruz's absence at the voluntary workout program would only be conjecture, as he has not spoken since January about his contract situation. But it is the next installment in an offseason of uncertainty about the star receiver's future. Only time will tell what's next.
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