Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz has done his last salsa in the opponent’s end zone, as the 31-year-old announced his retirement Tuesday adding that he will be joining ESPN as an NFL analyst.
“As I officially close one chapter of my life and begin another, I could not be more thrilled to join another championship team at ESPN,” Cruz said in a video on ESPN’s Uninterrupted. “I’m excited to get started and share my insight and analysis with the viewers and fans of the NFL.”
It makes sense for Cruz to retire now. He had a monster career with the Giants from 2011 through 2013 where he “caught 241 passes for 3,626 yards and 23 touchdowns. He also had a strong playoff season after the 2011 season with 21 receptions for 269 yards in four games and a touchdown catch in the Giants’ 21-17 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI,” ESPN reports.
But injuries to the superstar wide receiver robbed him of what could’ve been a longer playing career. He suffered a torn patellar tendon in October 2014 that had him out of the entire 2015 season. Cruz returned in 2016 but was held to a dismal 39 catches for 586 yards and just one touchdown, ESPN reports. He would be released by the Giants in 2016 only to sign with the Chicago Bears. He was released by the Bears in September 2017 and didn’t play last season. He’s expected to make his small screen debut on ESPN on Wednesday.