Victor Cruz contract: Giants and WR expect a long-term deal to be done

It would be surprising if New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz didn't have a new long-term contract in place before the start of training camp, at least according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen. Appearing on the NFL32 program, Mortensen said that he would be "shocked" if the Giants and Cruz didn't come to an agreement prior to the July camp.

Mortensen also said that a deal could be agreed upon within the "next 10 days." To this point, the Giants have been reportedly offering just slightly less than what Cruz is looking for overall -- namely $9 million per season over the course of his deal. The numbers that haven't been discussed to this point are the guaranteed dollars.

While Mortensen suggested that the Giants would be amicable to paying Cruz $8-9 million per season, he didn't touch up on the guaranteed dollars. Cruz is reportedly looking for somewhere between $15-18 million guaranteed. While it still seems like a lot to pay a slot receiver overall, the guaranteed money doesn't look unreasonable at this point.

Cruz caught 86 passes for 1,092 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Sure, he's a slot receiver, but he's a really good slot receiver and the Giants expect him to get even better. That said, they're probably hoping he'll be closer to his 2011 numbers, in which he put up 1,536 yards.

Getting Cruz signed is important, as the Giants don't want to head into the next offseason with both Cruz and No. 1 receiver Hakeem Nicks on expiring contracts. There hasn't been a whole lot of talk to this point on a long-term deal for Nicks.

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