MKRob Sports

Ike Hilliard, who ranks fifth in team history in receptions, signed a one-day contract so that he could retire with the New York Giants.

“It was a no-brainer for me,” Hilliard, 34, said during a teleconference. “Being a Giant was obviously more special to me than anything in my professional career, with no disrespect to my four years in Tampa.”

From 1997 to 2004, Hilliard was a versatile option for the Giants, forming an effective tandem with Amani Toomer. As a Giant, Hilliard had 4,630 yards receiving, which ranks eighth in franchise history, and 368 receptions.

The Giants released Hilliard in 2005, and he played four seasons with Tampa Bay.

Hilliard played with disregard for his personal safety. He has a cringe-inducing medical record: posterior spine stabilization surgery, which fused two vertebrae, in 1997; bruised lungs and a bruised sternum in 2000; foot surgery before the 2001 season; a dislocated shoulder in 2002. He said he still had nerve damage from a hit in 2008.

“Some people call me crazy, but that’s O.K.,” said Hilliard, now the wide receivers coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League. “I just think that you know what you’re getting into, and I enjoy the physical part of the game.”