Former Giants running back Brandon Jacobs was cut by the Giants last week, but that’s doesn’t mean it’s a guarantee he won’t return, according to Justin Tuck.
“Obviously [Jacobs] has been here since I’ve been here. We came in the league together in 2005 and I hear there is still a chance that he might be back. You cross your fingers about that,” Tuck said at Cipriani Wall Street Tuesday night, when he was honored for his part in contributing to a new Multicultural Arts Center in New York.
Jacobs was due a $500,000 roster bonus this month and the team had a $4.9 million option for 2012, which was not picked up. Jacobs met with coach Tom Coughlin Tuesday at the Giants practice facility.
One player that will be back to help Tuck on defense is cornerback Terrell Thomas, who injured his ACL during the preseason and was out for the entire year. The Giants re-signed him yesterday, much to the delight of Tuck.
“It gives me a lot more time up front to go to work. He is a heck of a corner, so I am excited about him. Saw him [Tuesday]. He looks like he is recuperating very well off that ACL, so just looking for him to return back to where he was before that injury.”
Tuck’s teammate David Diehl who also was on hand, said he wasn’t as confident that Jacobs might return with the team.
“It’s the bad part of the business when it comes to this,” Diehl said. “When I think of Brandon, I think of a guy that helped us win two Super Bowls. So he’ got a lot to hang his hat on, and I know that he’s still got football left to play and he’s going to go somewhere else and play some smashmouth football.”
Diehl also discussed another contract situation, that of wide receiver Victor Cruz, who will make just under $500,000 this season. He is looking for a new deal after his breakout season.
“You hope to keep a guy who’s worked extremely hard, who has fought his way into this league,” he said. “He has earned everything he’s gotten, up until this point. Just like anything you hope to keep your guys around and keep them around as long as possible, I think his play has done the talking for him.”
david.satriano@nypost.com