Watch: Victor Cruz delivered a powerful message to the Giants at practice

Former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz spoke with his former team on Monday at practice.

Cruz talked about coming in as an undrafted free agent and the work ethic it takes to achieve something at this level. He hammers home that this opportunity will never come again, this moment will never happen again, and working hard is how you make the best of it. He also talked about character and the expectations of the Giants' organization, but the biggest thing he wanted to get across to the players is to have fun and love the grind.

"Have fun with it, dog," Cruz says. "It's still a game. You're still playing a game, you're still a kid that's out here playing this game at the highest level. The stakes are a little bit higher, but it's still a game. Make sure you're having fun when you're out here standing in these lines. When you see your brothers out here going to war, going to battle each and every week, have fun. Make sure you're taking it all in because I don't get it back. The biggest thing I miss is these grind days. Love the grind, you gotta love the grind. I love coming out here getting better, running routes, I'd be out here for hours if I got to just to get better. Every route, I felt like I got better."

Victor Cruz's message to the team 🗣 pic.twitter.com/44q71ylNFf— New York Giants (@Giants) May 19, 2025

Known for his post-touchdown salsa and his uncanny ability to find the ball and snag it out of the air, Cruz played six seasons with the Giants. His 2014 season was cut short when he tore his patellar tendon, and when he tried to return to practice in 2015, he aggravated the injury and ended up missing the entire season. He returned in 2016, but was released after the season was over. He announced his retirement in 2018 and joined ESPN as an analyst.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Former Giants WR Victor Cruz delivers powerful message to players