The preseason workouts are continuing in full speed, but the New York Giants aren’t any closer to settling their contract issues with Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks, who both have yet to turn up to any of the team’s organized activities, starting to look like a worrying development instead of something that will probably blow over.

Cruz is actually well within his rights not to appear because of being a restricted free agent, who is currently in negotiations with the Giants. But according to reports from ESPN, there haven’t been any developments in that front since the Giants were willing to improve their offer to about $8 million a season on a four-year deal for the slot receiver, who thinks he should be paid like a number one wideout, meaning an 8-figure salary.

Maybe Cruz sees how the things with Nicks are developing, for the worse, and knows he is close to getting a lot of leverage in this whole situation. Nicks still has a contract for one more season, and while the Giants view him as their number one wide receiver for the future, they haven’t entered any negotiations for the next contract with him.

Nicks hasn’t been in a real hurry to get a deal done as well, but his strange tactics of not showing up are baffling those in charge of running the Giants, and might lead them to grow a little bit tired of Nicks to grow up and show up for practice, even if he feels he deserves a bigger and better contract.

Eli Manning isn’t the kind of quarterback who can turn water into wine without the talent he needs to throw to. Cruz and Nicks accounted for 43.3% of the team’s receptions last season, while their number three receiver, tight end Martellus Bennett, is no longer with the team. Who does that leave them with? Louis Murphy, who has been looking good in practice but no one is counting on him to become a 1000-yard receiver all of a sudden, and Rueben Randle, who caught 19 passes for 298 yards last season.

The current direction of this “drama” is good for Cruz, who might turn out to become more valuable than he really is, and get that $10 million per-season deal he wants so badly, even if he doesn’t deserve it.

Image: Source