Victor Cruz Says Giants Intentionally Limited His Production Last Season

Free-agent wide receiver Victor Cruz said Thursday he believes the New York Giants intentionally limited his production in 2016.

During an interview on 105.1 FM's The Breakfast Club (h/t SNY), the veteran wideout presented his theory on how he was handled by the G-Men last season: "I felt it all year long. Halfway through the year I'm ballin', the other half I'm not getting the ball. And you're just like, 'What's going on?' It was like 'OK, I see what's happening. They don't want me here anymore.' A lot of people probably don't know this ... Let's say I played well—was a 1,000-yard receiver last year—it would have been more difficult from a fan perspective to cut me."

Cruz also suggested the Giants wanted to avoid paying him incentives in 2017: "If I played well, they owed me a ton of money that next year. So it was like, 'Let's get Cruz off the books.'"

However, Giants head coach Bob McAdoo said "there is no accuracy" to Cruz's claims, per Bob Glauber of Newsday.

After missing most of 2014 and all of 2015 due to injury, Cruz appeared in 15 games last season, registering 39 receptions for 586 yards and one touchdown.

He ranked fourth on the team in catches behind wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard as well as tight end Will Tye, and he was third in receiving yardage behind OBJ and Shepard.

Cruz was targeted inconsistently in 2016, as he was targeted seven or more times in just five games.

The former undrafted free agent out of UMass is a Pro Bowler who topped 1,000 receiving yards for the Giants in both 2011 and 2012.

New York released the 30-year-old this offseason and replaced him with former New York Jets receiver Brandon Marshall.

Cruz has yet to sign with another team, but he has visited with the Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars, per NFL.com.