Throughout the NFL offseason, veteran wide receiver and Victor Cruz has remained afloat in the free agent market without any significant interest coming his way.

With that in mind, Cruz has announced the tough decision via Uninterrupted to step away from the game to pursue his next career with a job at ESPN.

Cruz had burst onto the scene with the New York Giants where he spent the first six years of his career as a primary weapon n the passing game while establishing himself as one of the top young wide receivers in the league. This saw him post consecutive seasons to start his career with at least 80 catches, 1,000 receiving yards, and nine touchdowns.

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However, he saw his level of production drop down significantly after he suffered a torn patellar tendon in October 2014, and he struggled to stay on the field from that moment forward. He was unable to get back on the field for the 2015 campaign but did manage to play in the 2016 season. Cruz had much difficulty showing that same type of explosive burst that led to him recording 39 catches on 72 targets for 586 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The 31-year-old was able to get a shot with the Chicago Bears last offseason but was released just prior to the start of the 2017 season. Since then, he had been on the open market looking to get another chance to reignite his career, but that opportunity never came his way. He had put a self-deadline to get his career back on track this summer but since there haven't been any real situations presented to him to get another shot he has elected to retire. It ends what was once a promising career that was abruptly altered by a major injury, but this decision opens up the next chapter of his life away from the game.