NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: Professional football player Victor Cruz attends the 2014 Fresh Air Fund Honoring Our American Hero at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers on May 29, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz announced on Tuesday that he is retiring from the NFL.
The 31-year-old revealed the news in a video on the YouTube channel UNINTERRUPTED. Cruz will now join ESPN as an NFL analyst, and is set to make his debut on Wednesday.
“I’m excited to close down and open a new chapter and join the media world at ESPN,” Cruz said in the video. “I’m excited for the future, I’m excited for the next chapter, I’m excited for you all to be a part of this with me, and here we go.”
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In the video, Cruz also explained how his years in the NFL were great because of off-the-field events like the birth of his daughter and his signing a sneaker deal with Nike. Cruz, who went undrafted out of Massachusetts in 2010, played seven seasons with the Giants. He was a standout from 2011 to 2013: during those three campaigns, he helped lead the team to a Super Bowl championship (after the 2011 season) and reached a Pro Bowl (2012). Cruz also logged 241 receptions for 3,626 yards and 23 touchdowns during that time period.
The wideout then suffered a string of injuries that ultimately slowed down his career. In October 2014, he sustained a torn patellar tendon and was sidelined for the whole 2015 season. In 2016, Cruz compiled only 39 catches for 586 yards and one touchdown. The Giants released him in February 2017.
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Cruz then signed with the Chicago Bears last year but only practiced with them during the offseason. The team cut him in September.
In Week 16 of the 2011 season, Cruz tied an NFL record by making a 99-yard touchdown catch against the New York Jets.
Cruz, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was best known for his “salsa” dances in the end zone to celebrate scoring touchdowns.
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