Last week, New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin used the word “concerned” when talking about the contract status of Victor Cruz.

But Giants co-owner John Mara seemed more relaxed about the matter during an appearance this morning on “NFL AM” on the NFL Network.

“I'm pretty confident that we'll end up reaching a deal with (Cruz),” Mara said, according to NFL.com. “This is not that atypical a situation. Player contracts, particularly with star players like Victor, can tend to drag on from time to time. I think we'll get it done.

“This is the right place for him to play. He's a star in this area, he's an important part of our team, and I think we'll eventually get a deal done, but it's just a process that you have to go through. And we're going through it right now. There's communication, and it's slow but steady, and I think at some point we'll reach a deal.”

Cruz has not yet volunteered for the Giants’ voluntary offseason workout program. The team offered him a restricted free agent tender worth $2.879 million and he’s not going to sign and show for that kind of money. If a deal isn’t done two months from now – when training camp will be fast approaching – then there will be more legitimate reason to be concerned.

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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune