New Giants safety Antoine Bethea, who signed a two-year free-agent deal this offseason, tackles some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.

Q: Last season with the Cardinals, you played with quarterback Josh Rosen. Does he have a bright future?

A: A very bright future, man. We know the game is physical, but it’s a lot mental as well. Even though he was a rookie last year, I would sit down and talk with him on the sideline, he’s well beyond his years. Very smart, very cerebral. The way he throws a ball, his ball placement. When he gets some guys around him in a solid foundation, he’ll take this league by storm.

Q: Was he a good teammate?

A: Very good teammate. And also very productive in the community as well. Very, very impactful.

Q: Why do you relish being an underdog even today?

A: I feel as though everybody at some point in life has been an underdog. And, all my life I’ve been an underdog. And even entering my 14th year in the league, I still feel as though I’m the underdog because honestly, I don’t think I get the credit that I deserve. And I’ve never really said that, but I relish that. That puts that fire underneath me. It’s just something that I thrive off of.

Q: Why don’t you think you’ve gotten the credit that you deserve?

A: I’m not sure. I really can’t put my finger on that. At the end of the day, it is what it is. I go out there and do what I need to do. I prepare like I need to prepare. I play the game the way I think the game should be played. At the end of the day, when the smoke clears, I think I’ll get that.

Q: Who are underdogs in life or in sports you admire?

A: Jamal Crawford [a former Knick now with the Phoenix Suns] hasn’t been a starter much in his career. I don’t think people understand the impact that he has on the teams that he plays on. Always up for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Also some of the people that I came into the league with and played with — a Gary Brackett [former Colts linebacker], a Robert Mathis [also a former Colts linebacker], guys that were late-round draft picks and even undrafted. Those are the kind of people that I look up to — they were underdogs, undersized, people didn’t really think they were gonna make a career out of football but they did, but then after football with what they did.

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A: A leader. Quarterback of the defense. Smart player. And I’m very aggressive.

Q: Describe the transformation.

A: One of my coaches used to always say, “Be where your feet are.” So obviously, when you’re with your family, you’ve gotta be that family man, you got your kids looking up to you, you got your wife, they’re depending on you to be the man of the house and go on vacation with you. But then when you’re on the field, it’s the same way — you got your teammates that are depending on you, you got your coaches that are depending on you to be that leader, and to be that type of player that you are born to be. I’m a football player, but that’s not who I am as a person. While I’m here on this field, I’m gonna give you everything that you want. I’m gonna hit you in the mouth … but then off the field, I’m gonna be the best parent that I can possibly be, be the best husband that I can possibly be, best friend or whatever the case may be.

Q: Will Colin Kaepernick play in the NFL again?

A: I hope he does. I think what happened to him was very unfortunate, for him standing there for what he believed, and people not giving him the opportunity. He was very capable of leading a team to a Super Bowl like he did. I know he was better than a lot of the quarterbacks that were on rosters, so I hope he does. I’m not here to say if he does, if he doesn’t. If he does land on a team, I’ve seen him firsthand put in the work to go out there and do what he needs to do. He’s very capable of leading a team.

Q: What was your feeling when he could not get back in the league prior to the lawsuit settlement?

A: I think it was disheartening. I think it was unfair. He was standing for a lot of African-Americans like myself in the league. … What he was standing for and what he was protesting, I think we were living that every day. So for him to be, I would say blackballed and not being able to play in that league before they made their settlement, whatever the case may be, I think it was unfortunate.

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A: When you think about a running back, oh, is he a first-down back or is he a third-down back? But you look at Le’Veon, he could do it all. He can run between the tackle, he can run outside the tackles, he can come out of the backfield and catch the ball, he can line up at the slot receiver and catch that ball. He’s a matchup scare. The things that a defense has to look for when they’re going against him sometimes can be a nightmare.

Q: So you think he’ll make a big difference for a young quarterback like Sam Darnold?

A: Oh, no question, no question.

Q: What was it like growing up in Newport News, Va.?

A: I loved my childhood. It really wasn’t a situation where you had the wealthy, but you had the middle class and you had the lower class. The things that Kaepernick was adamant about, we dealt with that every day. It gave me that motivation to get out there and try to better myself.

Q: You saw some terrible things there, right?

A: It’s like that everywhere — friends going to jail, friends being killed at a young age. But I’m pretty sure a lot of the guys in the league can vouch for that from the areas that they grew in.

Q: Tell me about your mother Verina.

A: At the end of the day, she’s the backbone of our family. Each medical scare [breast cancer] that she goes through, she puts herself last, she always puts the family first. She would give you her last piece of clothing off her back. That’s the person I look up to.

Q: Why is prison reform so important to you?

A: That just goes back to my upbringing. Having friends being locked up, and coming home from jail and not really having the opportunity that they can have to really be rehabilitated. You can go to jail, and prison’s supposed to be a rehabilitation place, but it really isn’t, so when you do get out of prison, you kind of step behind the 8 ball. … ‘I’m trying to get this job at this particular place, but they won’t hire any felon.’ It’s kind of one of those things where you’re just trying to do what you can since you do have a platform. You do know some people that’s fighting this battle that you’re fighting against, and this is something that you can do to try to make an impact.

Q: Which one of your career interceptions has been your favorite?

A: I think it was 2014 against Philip Rivers. I was guarding Antonio Gates, he had two receivers on the outside of him, he did a quick in route, the second receiver was doing an in-route as well, I come off of Antonio Gates and I picked off the second in-route. It was like 40 yards [49-yard touchdown return] in San Fran, so I kind of remember that like it was yesterday.

Q: Who haven’t you intercepted that you want to?

A: So far, man, I got Tom Brady, I got Philip, I got Eli [Manning], I got Drew Brees, and I got Big Ben [Roethlisberger], so at this point, the more the merrier.

Q: Tell me about intercepting Eli.

A: That was my first year with Arizona [2017], it was Christmas Eve, and I had two picks against Eli that game. One I was playing center field, tight end was in the slot and doing like a slot fade, and I was able to pick him. The second pick was right before halftime. I was able to get a good break and got my second pick of the game.

Q: Describe the euphoria of winning Super Bowl XLI with the Colts.

A: That’s like a feeling like no other. I think that was one of the proudest moments of my NFL career. Obviously coming my rookie season [2006], it was just a great way to end that year. You have some of the greats that’s played this game at a very high level for a very long time, that’s not able to say they’re a Super Bowl champion. It was very fulfilling,

Q: If you were in the open field with one running back in history, who would you want to test your skills against?

A: No running back (laugh). That’s one thing that I think people take for granted, like being that free safety position and the running back hitting a hole untouched and you having to tackle him in the open field, that’s one of the toughest jobs in America.

Q: Who’s the most elusive running back you’ve faced?

A: I know I had an open-field tackle against Reggie Bush when he was in Miami. Luckily he didn’t try to juke me, he tried to run me over, so it was kind of one of those easy tackles, but I remember that tackle like it was yesterday.

Q: Who is the toughest tight end you’ve had to cover?

A: I would say between Tony Gonzalez and Gronk [Rob Gronkowski].

Q: Describe veteran Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

A: The GOAT. He does it all. He does it on and off the field, in the community. One of the greatest to play the game, and it was an honor to share the field and locker room with him … a true leader.

Q: You played for coach Chip Kelly with the 49ers in 2016. Describe him.

A: Real good guy. We still keep in contact. I just think he was kind of ahead of that curve and wanting players to do extra that I think some of the players weren’t really ready to do at that point in time. Great offensive mind and coach, man, and good person.

Q: What do you think of allowing pass interference replay review?

A: It’s cool, but I think over these new rule changes you gotta kind of see how it affects the game. As a player, you never want the game to slow down as much. We have TV timeouts already, we have challenges here and there. You kind of want the game to continue to be able to be a flow.

Q: What is your favorite football memory at Howard?

A: My first official start. It was my sophomore year, second game of the year, playing our rival, against Hampton University, probably one of the best football games I ever played. I think I had like 12 tackles, a touchdown, three forced fumbles. … Hampton University’s probably like 10 minutes away from where I grew up … did not recruit me.

Q: Who are athletes in other sports you admire?

A: LeBron [James] … Floyd Mayweather [Jr.] … Derek Jeter.

Q: Boyhood idol?

A: Ronnie Lott. At that time, the 49ers were really good. He just stood out on film. It was just the way he played, the plays that he made in the field, I just figured, “I like that guy.”

Q: Describe former Colts coach Tony Dungy.

A: Coach Dungy had everybody’s respect in our locker room and in our building. The way he went about his work, the way he went about preaching his word.

Q: Why do dogs mean so much to you?

A: They’re man’s best friend!

Q: Tell me about your dog.

A: It’s a boxer. Her name is Ali. Very energetic, very happy, family dog. Just an extended part of our family, and we love her.

Q: What are your personal goals?

A: Be the best me I can be.

Q: How long do you want to continue playing?

A: I take it one day at a time, one year at a time.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, John Gotti.

Q: Why John Gotti?

A: I like to understand people’s mindset.

Q: What would you ask him?

A:What was it to have people gravitate to you and to have people believe in you and to have people to follow you as a leader?

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Lean On Me.”

Q: Favorite actors?

A: Denzel [Washington], Will Smith.

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Jada Pinkett Smith.

Q: Favorite meal?

A: Italian or jerk chicken.

Q: What drives you?

A: Still having that underdog mentality and still having that chip on the shoulder. And also just playing for the name on the back of my jersey. Being able to, when I walk away from the game, that OK, Bethea, he played the game the right way, he played the game the way it was supposed to be played at the safety position, but also he was a pro’s pro.