Victor Cruz will get his next NFL opportunity from a former Giants coach, but it won't be Tom Coughlin.
The former Giants star wide receiver has a deal in place to sign with John Fox and the Chicago Bears, a source confirmed to The Record and NorthJersey.com on Thursday.
A visit with Coughlin and the Jacksonville Jaguars was scheduled for earlier this week, but cancelled when negotiations with the Bears and Cruz's representatives showed considerable progress toward an agreement.
The expectation is that Cruz, 30, will sign with the Bears and make the deal official next week.
He also visited with the Panthers prior to the scouting combine shortly after his Feb. 13 release from the Giants. Carolina drafted Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel, though, and both will likely see significant playing time in the slot.
While not the Jaguars' head coach (Doug Marrone), Coughlin is overseeing all aspects of the football operations. A reunion would have been compelling, but the fit with Fox _ who served as defensive coordinator under Jim Fassel with the Giants _ appeared to be a better one from the outside.
Cruz had been a Giants fixture since August of 2010, when the undrafted rookie from UMass who grew up in the shadow of the Meadowlands stunned everyone with a breakthrough performance in a preseason game against the Jets. He rose to stardom with the Giants, celebrating his touchdowns with his trademark salsa dance and winning a Super Bowl in the 2011 season.
Only Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall had more 100-yard receiving games than Cruz from 2011 to Week 6 of the 2014 season when the latter tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during a game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Cruz returned this past season to play in 15 games after missing nearly two years due to knee and calf injuries, the former threatening to end his career. But with only 39 catches for 586 and one touchdown, Cruz's role had been diminished as a third option behind Odell Beckham Jr. and Sterling Shepard. His one touchdown was the game-winning score as the Giants beat the Cowboys in Week 1 in Arlington, Texas.
In his career, Cruz has 303 catches for 4,549 yards and 25 touchdowns. Both his receptions and yardage totals are 10th in Giants history, and his 25 touchdowns are 17th.
