Now that Victor Cruz has his massive contract out of the way, he has a new role with the New York Giants: recruiter. Cruz wants his tag-team partner, Hakeem Nicks, to also sign a long-term deal with the team.
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"Oh yeah, I'm definitely going to put the pressure on him to come back and see if he wants to play with me for the long haul and see if we can do this together for a couple of years," Cruz said Monday, via the New York Daily News. "We'll see how it goes.
"Hakeem's his own man," Cruz added. "He's going to make his own decisions. But I'm definitely going to see if I can get him to stay with me for a couple of years."
A little peer pressure never hurt, but the terms of Cruz's contract are far more meaningful than any personal entreaties. Cruz's six-year, $45.879 million contract makes him paid like a very good No. 2 receiver. That should leave room for the Giants to pay Nicks like a lower-tier No. 1 receiver.
Now Nicks just has to stay healthy for a season and produce like one.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
