Victor Cruz is a wide receiver for American football who is presently a free agent. He was raised in Paterson, New Jersey, which is one of the most renowned neighborhoods in the state of New Jersey for its high crime rate. He played for his school’s football team and had a lifelong passion for the sport. He was found by football coach Andrew Slome, and as a senior in 2003, he went on to earn All-State honors. He later enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, where he played an important role on the football squad. He was selected by the New York Giants in the 2010 NFL Draft, and after being signed, his career started with outstanding preseason play. Despite the fact that he spent the rest of the regular season on the sidelines due to an injury sustained at the start of the campaign. In the following seasons, despite having ailments, he had an above-average performance. However, it was insufficient to retain him on the squad, and in February 2017, the Giants officially released him. He was signed by the Chicago Bears in May 2017, however, five months later, they released him from his contract.
Early Childhood & Life
Michael Walker and Blanca Cruz, two members of an African-American family, welcomed Victor Cruz into the world on November 11, 1986, in Paterson, New Jersey. His father was a firefighter, and they were from middle-class households. One of the most dangerous areas in the state was the area around Paterson. Yet, Victor was able to avoid problems for the majority of his childhood.
Football and dance were his two childhood passions. When he was 11 years old, his accomplished dancer grandma started teaching him how to dance. Salsa was primarily his subject of fascination. Later in his career, he would pay respect to his grandmother by dancing briefly in salsa after each touchdown he scored during football games.
Victor was a fan of the Dallas Cowboys even though he grew up not far from the Giant’s stadium and went to a number of their games. When Victor was a child, the Cowboys were considered to be the best football team in the 1990s, and he started to fantasize about playing for them when he grew up.
Although basketball was more widely practiced in his area, football remained his sport of choice. He gave each sport equal attention, and he was excellent in both. After enrolling at Paterson Catholic High School in 2000, he gave football his all attention. Benjie Wimberly, the head coach of his high school squad, helped him develop his wide receiver and defensive back talents.
An Earlier Years
In 2003, his senior year of high school, he led his team to an undefeated 11-0 streak, earning him All-State honors. Victor became one of the team’s most closely watched players that year after scoring 19 touchdowns on the strength of 42 throws.
He was chosen to participate in the North-South All-star game in New Jersey early in 2004, and numerous colleges extended membership offers to him at the same time. Before deciding to enroll at the University of Massachusetts, he received his training at Maine’s Bridgeton Academy.
He was just able to begin playing college football for Umass in 2007 due to some conduct issues, and he made his starting debut in 2008 after that. He made a big impression in his rookie season, catching 71 passes and scoring 5 touchdowns. He was chosen for the First Team All-Colonial Conference during his first season of collegiate football.
Although his performance dipped a little in his final year, it was still above average. He caught 59 passes for 868 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was anticipated to be in high demand for the NFL Draft 2009, but surprise, his name was not called. The New York Giants finally called him up, and in the summer of 2010, he showed up at the team’s camp and began working out.
Victor Cruz’s Career
Before the 2010–11 season, he made his Giants debut during the preseason. He grabbed six receptions and scored five touchdowns in a game against the New York Jets in August, helping his club to a 31-16 win. He performed admirably for the Giants throughout the preseason, earning a spot in the team’s 53-man roster for the 2010–11 campaign.
During the regular season, he only participated in three games before suffering a hamstring injury. For the rest of the season, he was a bench player. The Giants put him on injured reserve, making it clear that they had big plans for him and did not want to lose him to another team.
One of the four wide receivers on the team, Victor made a comeback for his squad in the 2011 campaign. Victor gave it his all in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, scoring two touchdowns and catching three passes for 110 yards to help his team secure a convincing victory. He set the mark for his team’s most receiving yards in a single season during a later game against the Jets.
Victor had become one of the team’s finest players by the end of the season and had a record to his name. His 1536 receiving yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, and 82 receptions set a franchise record for a single season. He was selected as a Second-team All-Pro by the Associated Press.
Cruz finally agreed to a one-year free agent tender in June 2013. The Giants extended their contract offer to him in the following month. Due to this, the contract was extended to six years, including the free agent tender. He had an injury during a preseason game in 2013, which forced him to spend the majority of the rest of the season on the sidelines.
When he suffered an injury during a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in October 2014, that year also turned out to be awful. His season was prematurely over because of this. He played in 6 games and recorded just one touchdown before being kicked off the team. It was unclear whether he would be present on the field when the 2015 season got underway. In between his injuries, which he recovered from for the majority of the season, he made comebacks.
After taking almost 2 years out to recover from his injuries, he finally made a comeback in the 2016 season. For the first time in two years, he performed a salsa dance to celebrate his first touchdown of the season as he made his comeback on the field in a game against Dallas in September.
Although he continued to play effectively for the rest of the season, the Giants decided not to keep him. In February 2017, his contract expired, and he was let go. Victor inked a contract with the Chicago Bears in May 2017, however, they ultimately dismissed him in September of that same year.
Victor’s Individual Life
Before proposing to her in 2014, Victor Cruz dated Elaina Watley for a considerable amount of time. Kennedy was the name of the child he had with her.
Yet once Victor began appearing in public with the model Karrueche Tran in 2017, there were rumors that the couple had broken up. Along with Nate Collins, a former teammate, Victor launched the Young Whales apparel line in 2010.
Estimated Net Worth
Former American football player Victor Cruz has a $16 million fortune. Victor Cruz was a wide receiver and earned an estimated $8.6 million a year at one point.