ATLANTA — Giants fans wanted Andrew Whitworth and Whitworth wanted the Giants.

So what happened that sent the four-time Pro Bowl left tackle to the Rams during free agency in 2017?

“Just being completely honest: That was a place that my wife and I were very interested in going,” Whitworth said when asked by NJ Advance Media about one of the last big miscalculations by former Giants general manager Jerry Reese.

“We even told our agent that we would love to hear if there was an option there. We were told there wasn’t any interest there. It wasn’t something that was ever a viable option for us.”

Whitworth, 37, was at a podium Monday during Super Bowl Opening Night, the result of a twist of fortune that saw him secure a three-year, $36 million contract with the upstart Rams. The team relocated from St. Louis to Los Angeles and hired the NFL’s youngest head coach (Sean McVay).

Whitworth spent his first 11 seasons with the Bengals and never experienced a playoff victory. Coming off his third Pro Bowl selection, Whitworth had three main suitors once the Giants opted to sit out the sweepstakes because of interest in building a younger roster, Reese later said.

“When we looked at all of our options," Whitworth said, “it was really an opportunity where I had two coaches in (Broncos) Vance Joseph and (Vikings) Mike Zimmer that I had played with in Cincinnati, and I had a guy in Sean who is a close friend of (Redskins coach) Jay Gruden, who I am really close with.

“I just believed in his offensive philosophy. Being an offensive guy, I just felt leaning toward the guy who was more offense-influenced. My wife and I got married in California. It’s a little bit of a special place for us. It was an easy decision for my family.”

The Giants went into the 2017 season with first-round draft bust Ereck Flowers and overconfident Bobby Hart as their starting offensive tackles and predictably the protection imploded in front of immobile quarterback Eli Manning.

Reese was fired before season’s end and successor Dave Gettleman cut both Hart and Flowers. Gettleman’s prioritized attempt to rebuild the offensive line last offseason resulted in big investments but flopped when Manning took a career-high 47 sacks.

The Giants signed former Patirots left tackle Nate Solder to the (since-surpassed) highest-paid contract ever for an offensive lineman last March but right tackle is the No. 1 offseason need for the offense.

There is a chance Whitworth could be available again if the Rams opt to release him and save $10.8 million against the salary cap.

“To be the oldest offensive lineman in the league and have the opportunity to play in this game is tremendous,” Whitworth said. “It’s something I’ve worked 13 years for.”

Or Whitworth could ride off into a life of family time — his daughters were around the podium Monday in jerseys cheering on their dad — with a Super Bowl ring.

“Retirement is always an option,” Whitworth said. “I believe in balance. I believe in being a good dad, a good player, a good teammate. Everything I do needs to balance up. Every year I’ll weigh it and see what happens. But I don’t think a victory or not weighs into that decision very much.”

Ryan Dunleavy may be reached at rdunleavy@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rydunleavy. Find our Giants coverage on Facebook.