Victor Cruz Brutally Compares Giants and Bears

Victor Cruz will forever be known as one of the most electric players in New York Giants history, flashing for the better part of three seasons and winning a Super Bowl before injuries ran their course.

He’s a franchise icon and a permanent member of the Giants family, so much so that his brief journey away from East Rutherford has been largely forgotten about.

For those that don’t remember, it was with the Chicago Bears, and it didn’t last until the regular season in 2017. That was all Cruz needed to know that it was time to hang up the cleats and that New York is a special place to play.

The Giants legend ripped the NFC competitor in a recent interview as he told the story of his 2017 summer festivities.

"It was the Bears, yeah," Cruz said on the “New Rory & MAL” podcast. "I was there for a little cup of coffee. It’s funny because once I transitioned, you know, the stigma, or not the stigma, but something they tell you in the league often is like, 'Oh, it ain’t, you know, when you leave the Giants, it ain’t the same everywhere.'

"And I’m like, well, I’m going to the Bears, a heralded organization, been around for a hundred years. Like, they absolutely run a high-level organization there. And I got there and I was looking around, I was like, this [expletive] is trash. Food was trash, ownership was trash, coaching staff was trash… It was just awful. In comparison to the Giants, where it was like gourmet, we got packaged lunch."

Chicago, at the time, was led by head coach John Fox in his final year as a head coach. The Bears, who released Cruz days before Week 1, went 5-11, finished in fourth place in the AFC North, and cleaned house after the season.

The Bears have joined the Giants in a rather perpetual struggle but look to be on the upswing. They drafted quarterback Caleb Williams first overall in 2024 and have hired head coach Ben Johnson to finish the job, generating optimism from analysts around the league.

It seems much of the organization has changed in the seven seasons since Cruz’s stop in Chicago. In their recent NFLPA report card, the Bears earned a “B” or greater in eight of 11 categories, three of which earned at least an “A-.”

New York, on the other hand, found five “B” or higher grades, with an “A-” for its strength coaches.

Chicago seems to be on the upswing, but the Giants can join them with a strong enough NFL Draft. With another young receiver with Cruz’ brand of starpower and a revamped defense, New York could very well generate excitement as the new season draws near.