What Is Victor Cruz's Net Worth and Salary?
Victor Cruz is an American former football player who has a net worth of $16 million. Victor Cruz played the position of wide receiver, and at one point, his annual salary was $8.6 million. Victor played football for the University of Massachusetts before being signed by the NY Giants in 2010 as an undrafted free agent. Cruz had 131 catches during his college career, which ranks him 4th on UMass' all time receptions list. That's an especially impressive feat when you consider the fact that Victor did not start a single game until his junior year. He played for the Giants through 2016, and the team won Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. In July 2013, Cruz signed a 5-year, $45.9 million contract extension with the Giants, but he was released by the team in February 2017. The Chicago Bears signed him to a one-year deal in May 2017, and after they released him a few months later, he announced his retirement from the NFL in August 2018. Since his retirement, Victor has served as an analyst for ESPN and hosted "The Cost of Winning Podcast" In 2015, he appeared in three episodes of HBO's "Ballers," and he hosted the MTV series "The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars" in 2017.
Early Life
Victor Cruz was born Victor Michael Cruz on November 11, 1986, in Paterson, New Jersey. He is the son of an African-American father, Michael Walker, and a Puerto Rican mother, Blanca Cruz. Michael was a firefighter, and sadly, he died by suicide when Victor was in his early twenties. Cruz studied at Paterson Catholic High School, and after graduation, he spent a semester at the Maine college preparatory school Bridgton Academy. At Paterson, he was a defensive back and wide receiver on the school's football team. During his senior year, he received All-State honors, and the team was undefeated and won the New Jersey Parochial Group I championship. That season Victor scored 19 touchdowns and caught more than 40 passes.
College Career
Cruz initially had a hard time balancing his football career with his studies, and the University of Massachusetts sent him home twice for academic reasons. In 2007, he became eligible to play for the university, and he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Afro-American Studies in 2010. Victor scored 11 touchdowns during his college career and completed nearly 2,000 receiving yards, and in 2008 and 2009, he was selected as a first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association wide receiver.
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Professional Career
The 2010 NFL Draft ended with Cruz going undrafted, but the New York Giants signed him the next day. In an August 2010 preseason game, he helped the Giants defeat the New York Jets 31-16 by scoring three touchdowns. By the end of the preseason, Victor led the league in receiving yards (297), and he was chosen for the Giants' regular season roster. After playing three games in the beginning of the season, Cruz injured his hamstring and was placed on injured reserve for the rest of 2010. After Steve Smith left the Giants, Victor became their fourth wide receiver, and during week 16 of the 2011 season, a 99-yard touchdown catch resulted in Cruz tying an NFL record. During that game, he also broke the team's record for the most single-season receiving yards, which was previously held by Amani Toomer. Victor finished the season with 1,536 receiving yards, nine touchdowns, and 82 receptions, and the Associated Press named him a Second-team All-Pro. The Giants defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20–17 in the NFC Championship, which earned them a spot in the Super Bowl. The team played the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI, winning 21–17.
In June 2013, Cruz signed a $2.879 million, one-year restricted free agent tender, followed by a $45.879 million, five-year contract extension in July. He tore his patellar tendon in an October 2014 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and could not play for the rest of the season. Victor later underwent surgery on his left calf and had to sit out the 2015 season. In November 2015, the team placed him on season-ending injured reserve. He returned to playing for the Giants in September 2016 after two years of rehabilitation and scored a touchdown that won the team's season opener against the Dallas Cowboys. Later that month, Cruz was fined more than $12,000 for excessive celebration after he and Odell Beckham Jr. danced in the endzone. In February 2017, the Giants released him, and he spent most of the 2017 season as a free agent before announcing his retirement on August 21, 2018.
Personal Life
Victor has a daughter named Kennedy, whose mother is Elaina Watley. From late 2017 to early 2021, he was in a relationship with Karrueche Tran, an actress who starred as Virginia Loc on the TNT series "Claws" and won three Daytime Emmys for the web series "The Bay."
In 2010, Cruz and his former teammate Nate Collins launched the Young Whales clothing line, and Victor modeled the brand's designs.
After the tragic shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2014, Cruz honored 6-year-old fan Jack Pinto, who died in the shooting. Victor wrote a tribute to Jack on his shoes for a game against the Atlanta Falcons, writing "R.I.P. Jack Pinto" on one and "Jack Pinto My Hero" on the other. A few days after the tragedy, Cruz visited Pinto's grieving family and gave the gloves and cleats he wore in that game to Jack's brother. Victor later stated, "I felt like it was only right that I pay my respects to him and be as comforting to that family as much as I can."
Real Estate
In 2013, Cruz paid $2.3 million for an 8,400 square foot home in New Jersey. He put the seven-bedroom home on the market for $2.75 million in 2019. The home sits on 2.9 acres and is less than 20 miles from New York City. Each bedroom includes an en-suite bathroom, and the home features a wet bar, two laundry rooms, a gas fireplace, and a spa bath with a Jacuzzi.
