The Athletic Names Four Giants Free Agents to Their Top 20 New York Sports History List

These four free-agents all contributed to potential Super Bowl seasons and proved to deliver exceptional value.

The Athletic-New York released its list of the 20 best free-agent signings in New York sports history, and four members of the Giants made the cut.

Quarterback Kerry Collins (1999) ranked 19th; safety Antrel Rolle (2010) ranked 18th; wide receiver Plaxico Burress (2005) ranked 15th; and receiver Victor Cruz (2010) ranked 11th, according to the list.

Collins took the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV in 2000, only to come up short in the quest for the team's third championship at the time. After destroying the Vikings 41-0 in the NFC Championship Game, the Giants were no match for the Baltimore Ravens, who handed the Giants a 34-7 thumping in front of a sellout crowd at Raymond James Stadium.

Rolle proved to be one of the Giants' best free-agent signings of the last decade. Cut by the Arizona Cardinals, he signed with the Giants and immediately became a starter and a vocal leader who knew how to push and challenge his teammates.

Rolle, who helped the Giants win Super Bowl XLVI, was also one of a small handful of free agents signed to a big contract--his deal at the time made him the highest-paid safety in the league--who went on to earn every last penny owed to him.

Burress proved to be one of the missing pieces for the Giants during the 2007 Super Bowl championship season. Besides famously catching the game-winning touchdown pass from Eli Manning as the clock ran down in Super Bowl XLII, Burress recorded two 1,000-yard seasons as the Giants' No. 1 receiver.

The first in 2005 when he recorded 1,214 yards on 76 receptions. The second in 2007, when he logged 1,025 yards on 70 catches.

While all three of those players were integral parts of Giants lore, perhaps none was as beloved as Cruz, a native of Patterson, New Jersey who grew up only 13 miles from the Meadowlands.

Not only was his story an inspiring one that delivered the Giants a fan-favorite for many years, but it also reflected one of the best value signings by any NFL team in history.

Cruz racked up 1,536 receiving yards along with nine touchdowns in 2011 on an undrafted rookie salary of just $405 thousand.

For less than half a million dollars that season, the Giants got a wide receiver that ranked third in the NFL in receiving yards behind only Calvin Johnson and Wes Welker and a cornerstone player for a historic championship year.

Much like Rolle helped the defensive side of the ball in winning Super Bowl XLVI, Cruz was instrumental in helping the Giants on the offensive side of the ball.

Cruz came up with some of the biggest plays that determined the fate of the Giants' 2011 season.

These include an NFL-record 99-yard go-ahead touchdown against the Jets in a must-win game that shifted the momentum of the entire season, a 74-yard touchdown in a Week 17 game against the Cowboys for the NFC East crown and the opening touchdown of Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots to give the Giants a nine-point lead.

That the Giants were able to get Cruz on an undrafted free agent salary makes him one of the best overall values. And that Cruz, a small school gem who worked hard in turning himself into a top-flight receiver--he finished his Giants career with 4,549 yards on 303 receptions and 25 touchdowns in the five seasons he played (he spent 2010 on injured reserve) is a testament to Cruz's desire to be great.