The NFL's best salsa dancer has retired from playing the game—but he'll still be an active presence in the NFL community. Victor Cruz is calling it quits after seven years, and he's moving on to the Worldwide Leader.
Cruz joined the New York Giants after going undrafted out of UMass in 2010. The 31-year-old spent six seasons with the Giants and briefly joined the Chicago Bears last season, though he never saw the field. He was one of the league's best receivers in 2011, 2012, and 2013. In 2011, when he got his first playing time, Cruz hauled in 82 passes for 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cruz announced his retirement and new broadcasting venture with a video through Uninterrupted Tuesday morning.
You'll see him on plenty of ESPN programming—NFL Live, Get Up!, SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and more. Cruz tipped his toe into analyst work on NFL Live during last season's playoffs.
Cruz tore his patellar tendon in Oct. 2014, and it took him two years to recover. After his first season back—in Feb. 2017—the Giants, who were enjoying the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr., released Cruz. He then signed a one-year deal with the Bears in May, but the team released him in early Sept. 2017.
Cruz didn't start for UMass until his junior season, but he finished fourth on the school's all-time receptions list. He made first team All-Colonial Athletic Association in 2008 and 2009.
Cruz won a Super Bowl with the Giants in 2012. He was a second-team All-Pro in 2011.
