Former New York Giant Victor Cruz: Saquon Barkley Will Be Back Better Than Ever

Former New York Giants receiver Victor Cruz knows firsthand how running back Saquon Barkley must be feeling these days.

Cruz, like Barkley, suffered a devastating knee injury — Cruz's a torn patellar tendon, Barkley's a torn ACL — on the playing field that ended up costing him the rest of his season.

Images of Cruz sitting on the back of a cart, his head in his hands as he sobbed uncontrollably, still haunt the internet but also marked what would be a long and challenging odyssey back for the receiver.

But now Cruz has doubt that Barkley will make it back and be stronger and better than ever before.

"My heart just ripped in half when it happened," Cruz told Giants Country in an exclusive phone interview.

"I've been there, and I know what he's going through, and I know what it feels like, but he just needs to focus on the get-back."

Unlike Cruz, who was already signed to a lucrative contract, Barkley was reportedly set to approach the Giants after this season for a new deal despite being only three years in on his rookie contract.

Cruz, who does some part-time work for the Giants broadcast department, believes that any chance of Barkley getting that contract extension after this season will be put on hold until at least 2021.

"If I know the New York Giant organization, they're going to take their time and they're going to make sure he's okay and they're going to make sure that he can perform," Cruz said.

"I don't know if they're going to wait just to see it in workouts or if he's running and cutting and jumping. Do they want to see that? Or do they want to see him do it on the field?

"I think that's the question they're going to ask themselves and whatever the answer to that is Saquon is going to have to digest that and make a decision for himself and his family."

Cruz, who broke the Giants' single-season franchise record for receiving yards with 1,536 in 2011, suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon during a Week 6 game against the Eagles in 2014.

He was on track to return the following season but suffered a subsequent calf injury he later admitted might have been related to his compensating for his knee. That calf injury kept him sidelined for 2015.

The Giants restructured Cruz's 2016 base salary and tweaked his role on offense, giving him more outside snaps instead of slot snaps, where he had made his living.

Despite helping to lead the Giants back to the playoffs, 2016 proved to be Cruz's last year in New York as he was released the following offseason. After attempting to catch on with the Bears, ended up retiring shortly after that.

Barkley would appear nowhere close to being on the brink of retirement, but there are still legitimate questions about whether he can return to pre-injury form. It's certainly not impossible--running back Adrian Peterson did so.

But the contract situation is certainly going to find its way into the discussion regarding Barkley's future with the team.

Barkley, the second overall pick in the 2018 draft, is under contract through 2021 with a fifth-year option available for the Giants to exercise if they should choose to do so.

The Giants can also use the franchise tag on Barkley up to two times if they wish, which would ensure their rights to Barkley's services through 2024.

But that would be a costly proposition for a team that isn't one player away from being a contender.

The bottom line is that while every player seeks financial security, Barkley, who, in addition to the knee injury, also had a high ankle sprain that hampered him in 2019, will have to decide if the risk is worth playing if the doesn't get a new contract.

"You feel for him especially now if you want to look at the business side, contractually where he is," Cruz said.

"You want to make sure he comes back healthy so that the Giants still believe he can do those things, so he can prove he can do those things and possibly get an extension on his contract and be a Giant for the rest of his career."

Stella Stadium Bites

Cruz is offering NFL fans an opportunity to re-capture the culinary NFL stadium experience as most fans are still barred from attending games this year for a good cause as well.

Cruz, along with celebrity chef Daniela Soto-Innes, has partnered with Stella Artois to offer a premium assortment of concession-inspired meals labeled Stella Stadium Bites.

The dishes will be available in Manhattan only via www.StellaStadiumBites.com for the New York Giants game on October 22, with all proceeds going toward the New York Food Bank.