Brian Daboll did not extinguish hope for Giants fans clinging to the possibility of a DeAndre Hopkins signing.

Instead of deferring a personnel question to general manager Joe Schoen or closing the door completely by shifting the focus to the wide receivers already in the building, the head coach at least entertained the premise of a splashy addition.

“Like last year, anytime there is someone available that’s a free agent, I would say Joe and his staff are going to look into it, research it,” Daboll said. “We talk about a lot of different players, regardless of who it is.

“That’s part of our job, to make sure we are doing our due diligence.”

Hopkins was released by the Cardinals last week and now is among the most sought-after free agents in the NFL.

The Bills and Chiefs reportedly inquired about trading for Hopkins but couldn’t make it work because of his salary and contract.

The Giants have $6.1 million in salary-cap space and other avenues to clear space if they wanted to make a strong offer to Hopkins, who averaged 79.7 receiving yards per game last season after returning from a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

Hopkins easily would be the Giants’ most accomplished receiver, but the depth chart at the position is deeper than it has been in years.

The Giants were on the fringe of the sweepstakes for free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. before he signed a one-year, $15 million contract with the Ravens, but that always felt more compelled by the sentimentality of a reunion than the interest that would carry over to all stars at the position.

When it was mentioned to Daboll that a “big” — meaning premium — receiver was available, he playfully joked about size, like he did not know the question was about Hopkins.

“How tall is he?” Daboll quipped. “You said a big receiver.”

Will he make a big impact for the Giants or another playoff contender?