Dave Gettleman was with the Giants' front office when the team signed obscure receiver Victor Cruz as an undrafted free agent in 2010, and the veteran executive might be the one to give Cruz another chance after the Giants parted ways with the 30-year-old receiver.
A week after being released by the Giants in a widely anticipated move, Cruz met with the Carolina Panthers on Monday.
Gettleman, now the Panthers' general manager, could use a veteran slot receiver with good leadership skills, especially after the team decided not to pursue a slot receiver after moving on from former Jets and Steelers receiver Jerricho Cotchery following the team's 2015 Super Bowl season.
Cruz overcame knee and calf injuries that forced him to miss nearly two seasons before returning to play the entire 2016 season. He had 39 catches for 586 yards and one touchdown last season, playing mostly on the outside, while rookie Sterling Shepard was the team's primary slot receiver. Cruz had his best years playing mostly in the slot, helping the Giants on their 2011 Super Bowl run with 82 catches for a career-high 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns.
Cruz had only one more 1,000-yard season before he suffered a knee injury in the sixth game of the 2014 season in Philadelphia. He missed the rest of that season and also sat out the 2015 season because of a calf problem.
Cruz said after being released by the Giants that he still feels like he has a few more productive NFL seasons left in him. Because he was released, he is now free to sign with any NFL team. The signing period for unrestricted free agents whose contracts have lapsed begins March 9.
