Victor Cruz, the New York Giants' star wide receiver and restricted free agent, is rumored to be joining New York Yankees' second baseman Robinson Cano as clients of Roc Nation Sports, according to reports.
Roc Nation Sports is affiliated with CAA, and Cruz recently hired CAA agent Tom Condon. Currently, any offer for Cruz can be matched by the Giants, and he has been assigned a first-round tender, meaning if he is pried away by another team, the Giants will receive that team's first round draft choice. That tender also means Cruz can play next year on a one-year, $2.879 million contract in 2013.
Cruz, who proved his breakout 2011 campaign was no fluke by following it up with an 86-catch, 1,092, 10-touchdown 2012 season, has admitted he wants to remain a Giant, but hasn't been able to agree to terms on a long-term extension. He even said to WFAN, a local New York sports radio station, that "I love this team, I love this organization. I want to, God willing, one day retire a Giant."
Giants owner John Mara said the Giants are taking a risk by playing hardball and acknowledged Cruz' skill. "We would still have the right to match, and if we decided not to do that, we're getting a first-round draft pick out of it. So yeah, it is a risk for us, and he is an exciting, dynamic player. It's not going to shock me if somebody makes him an offer."
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, launched Roc Nation Sports on Tuesday with a bang by locking up Cano as his first client. Victor Cruz would lend even more credibility to the fledgling agency that Jay-Z himself hopes to be an agent for.
In a statement, Jay-Z said, "Because of my love of sports, it was a natural progression to form a company where we can help top athletes in various sports the same way we have been helping artists in the music industry for years."
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