The Facts:
Following up on the
ongoing story. ... Cruz's window as a restricted free agent officially closed as of midnight (Eastern Time). And, following the precedent of a typically slow restricted free-agent marketplace, no team is known to have signed the Giants receiver to a competing offer sheet -- a development which, had it happened, the team almost certainly would have announced.
Reported by the Newark Star-Ledger
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
What does that mean? As Star-Ledger staffer Jenny Vrentas notes, the passing of this deadline, at this point, was somewhat of a formality, though when the Giants applied a one-year, $2.879 million first-round tender to Cruz in March, co-owner John Mara admitted the club was "taking a risk." Ultimately, no other team was willing to give up a first-round pick plus pay Cruz's yearly asking price. This doesn't mean Cruz's unresolved contract situation is now resolved. The Giants' single-season receiving record-holder has a few choices. He could sign the tender and report to the Giants offseason program. Or, he could continue to stay away and -- in the words of quarterback Eli Manning -- "(put) pressure to try to get the deal done." The next deadline is in June, when, if Cruz has not signed his tender, the Giants are permitted to reduce the contract offer to 110 percent of his 2012 salary, which would equate to $594,000. ... Stay tuned.
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