The Giants paid real money to sign tight end Isaiah Likely in the spring, but their addition of the ascending tight end didn’t command nearly as much attention as other offseason storylines.

Not during an offseason, at least, in which the Giants hired head coach John Harbaugh, traded away disgruntled defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and reunited with Odell Beckham Jr.

But Likely demonstrated during Sunday night’s season-opening 28-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium exactly why the Giants made him such a priority.

Likely led all players with eight receptions, 78 yards and two touchdowns, establishing himself as a go-to weapon for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.

“We paid him a lot,” Harbaugh said with a laugh. “That’s what we paid him for, and he did it.”

Specifically, the Giants signed Likely to a three-year, $40 million contract, betting on his tantalizing talent after he showed flashes in a more complementary role under Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens.

If Sunday was just the start, the Giants may have gotten a bargain.

Four of Likely’s receptions came on third down, and he converted for a first down each time.

He scored his first touchdown with 20 seconds left in the first half when a busted coverage left Likely wide open in the back of the end zone, giving the Giants a 14-7 lead that they would not relinquish.

His second touchdown occurred in the third quarter on a nifty play design in which the Giants faked a pick play from the 2-yard line, leaving Likely uncovered right in front of the end zone.

“He played a great game,” said Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. “I thought they used him really well. … We knew that [he] was going to be a weapon for them. Give a lot of credit to [Giants offensive coordinator Matt] Nagy and the offensive staff. They had a really good game plan.”

A 2022 fourth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina, the 26-year-old Likely never exceeded 42 catches or 477 yards in his four seasons with Baltimore, where he was saddled behind Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews on the depth chart.

Likely had 27 catches for 307 yards and one touchdown in 14 games last season.

But at 6-4, 241 pounds with obvious athleticism, Likely delivered his share of highlights with the Ravens, including during a five-game stretch in 2023 in which he scored five touchdowns while Andrews was injured.

The Giants signed Likely with an increased role in mind. He projects as their No. 2 pass-catching option once wide receiver Malik Nabers — who returned Sunday after missing the final 13 games of last season due to a serious knee injury — is all the way back up to speed.

“When the coaches trust me to be a primary read sometimes, and when Jax trusts me and throws the ball, I’ve got to catch it,” Likely said Sunday.

Nabers, too, performed well after the long layoff, finishing second in the game with six receptions and 69 yards.

“Every time I turn around, when it goes to No. 9, I just know it’s going to get caught,” Nabers said, referring to Likely.

“I’m so happy about it. I’m so happy we can run routes together. … Just having him on the other side, it levels out everything for Jaxson.”

The one blemish in Likely’s big debut was a first-quarter fumble, which the Giants managed to recover. That was one of four fumbles by the Giants — Dart, Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. also put the ball on the ground — but they lost only one of them.

“[Likely] said, ‘You can trust me,’” Harbaugh said of his post-fumble conversation with the tight end. “And Skatt said the same thing. He said, ‘You can trust me.’ And I do trust him. I do trust those guys.”