Two years ago, the New York Giants, then under general manager Jerry Reese, could have vastly improved their offensive line by signing free agent Andrew Whitworth.

The fans were screaming for it, the experts were screaming for it and even Whitworth himself now admits he wanted it. But Reese ultimately decided to go in a different direction, telling Whitworth’s representation the team had “no interest.”

“Just being completely honest: That was a place that my wife and I were very interested in going,” Whitworth told NJ Advance Media. “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.”

Without Whitworth, the Giants went into the season with Ereck Flowers and Bobby Hart as their starting offensive tackles and, predictably, the line suffered. Quarterback Eli Manning was under constant pressure, the offense fell apart and Reese, along with then-head coach Ben McAdoo, were fired mid-season.

Whitworth, a four-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, is now starting at tackle for a Rams team preparing to take on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LIII. The Giants, meanwhile, remain on the hunt for a right tackle.