The Giants are attacking free agency this year like a thirsty man in the desert.
Continuing their flurry of veteran additions, Big Blue signed veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and return ace Trindon Holliday on Monday — and they apparently aren’t done yet.
Former Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham and ex-Cowboys defensive lineman Anthony Spencer also were in the building Monday and could still be signed by general manager Jerry Reese, who obviously feels the pressure to win now after missing the playoffs four of the past five seasons.
Rodgers-Cromartie was the headliner of Monday’s activity, signing a five-year deal reportedly worth $39 million that included $15 million in upfront guaranteed money.
Rodgers-Cromartie’s signing also came at the expense of the Jets, who had courted him heavily but couldn’t close the deal after bringing the ex-Bronco in for a visit over the weekend.
Rodgers-Cromartie was considered the best cornerback still on the market in free agency and, combined with the weekend signing of former Seahawks cornerback Walter Thurmond III and ex-Chiefs safety Quintin Demps, gives the Giants the makings of a formidable secondary this season.
“The main thing, bringing in guys from Kansas City, Seattle, you can see what they’re doing, trying to bring guys that are going to come in and lead by example,” Rodgers-Cromartie said in a statement released by the team. “That’s always a plus.”
Holliday agreed to a one-year deal worth a reported $5 million, and the ex-Broncos speedster — especially when paired with Demps — immediately upgrades the Giants’ return game.
The 5-foot-6, 162-pound Holliday has been one of the league’s most prolific returners the past two seasons, recording three punt returns for touchdowns and three kickoff returns for scores.
Rodgers-Cromartie and Holliday are the eighth and ninth veteran free agents to be signed by the Giants since the market opened March 11, and Reese might just be getting warmed up despite starting the day with barely $6 million in salary-cap room.
Reese was able to sign Rodgers-Cromartie only after getting defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka to take a significant pay cut over the weekend.
Kiwanuka, who is 31 and coming off a mere six-sack season in 2013, agreed to reduce his salary by $2.175 million to $1.5 million for this year, freeing up $2.05 million in cap room in the process.
Reese immediately used that money to seal the deal with Rodgers-Cromartie, who had spent just one day with the Jets before negotiating with the Giants over the course of two days.
Rodgers-Cromartie, 27, a cousin of recently released Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, is a former first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2008 who rejuvenated his career with the Broncos last season after two underachieving years in Philadelphia.
Rodgers-Cromartie started 13 games for Denver last season, recording three interceptions and 33 tackles. His lone career Pro Bowl berth came in 2009, when he notched six interceptions for Arizona.
The move allows Rodgers-Cromartie to reunite with former Cardinals teammate Antrel Rolle, a possibility that seemed to clinch Rodgers-Cromartie’s decision after Rolle lobbied for him to sign.
“I was with him for two years in Arizona,” Rodgers-Cromartie said of Rolle, according to the team. “He brought me in, took me under his wing and took care of me. So to be reunited with him is just a blessing. I know the things that he’s done in his career and the man he’s become. That’s going to be a help for me. … I’m glad to be here. Especially with Antrel and talking with the defensive coaches and the staff and even coach Tom [Coughlin], just talking with them, it’s going to be good.”