It’s no secret that NFL players talk to each other and that there’s a certain level of recruitment going on when former teammates are available via free agency.
Back in 2014, when the New York Giants signed Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, it was pretty clear that safety Antrel Rolle played a role in bringing in his former teammate from their days in Arizona.
What wasn’t clear was just how much of a role Rolle played in DRC coming to the Giants.
Rodgers-Cromartie, who currently plays in the AFFL, recently spoke with Giants Wire about signing with New York in 2014 and made it clear that Rolle was the determining factor in the move. He even called Rolle his mentor.
“I played with Antrel Rolle in Arizona,” DRC said. “You know he was my mentor out there. So he gave me a call and said, ‘look, I really want you to come over here and play with me’ and you know, that was the deciding factor. That was it and then he leaves the next year but he definitely got me to come over there.”
Rolle, of course, was a part of the Super Bowl XLVI roster and was a captain for the Giants during his time with Big Blue. He left via free agency in 2015 and while many believed he was past his prime at that point in his career, it was still hard for Giants fans to see him move onto another team.
Still, the recruitment of DRC is one that the Giants needed at the time and Rolle deserves credit for going above and beyond in his role as the captain.
