For all the money the Jets spent this offseason on free agents, Kerry Rhodes patiently waited and wondered when his big payday would come.

“When people were getting signed and me being an athlete and having feelings and thinking about what was going on, there were times when that was in the back of my mind,” the star safety said yesterday. “But they came right away and reassured me, so it was a good feeling.”

And so is being one of the richest safeties in the NFL. The Jets signed Rhodes to a five-year extension for $33.5 million, including $20 million guaranteed, according to various press reports. It’s just short of the five-year, $37.5 million deal Indianapolis’ Bob Sanders, the defensive player of the year, got before last season. “I was pretty confident that something would be done because of the feedback that I got at the end of the year, that there was something in the works for me down the line,” Rhodes said.”They were proactive in trying to get something done. I always had an idea that it would get done.”

The 25-year-old Rhodes, entering his fourth season, had a year left on his rookie contract — he was due to make $927,000 this season — and would’ve become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

“I think it’s good that we got it done early,” he said. “It’s a big lift off my back knowing where I’ll be the next couple of years and having a little security.”