By: Colin Richey, Asst. Sports Editor
NFL tight end Chris Manhertz ‘14 agreed to terms with the New York Giants on March 14. His one-year deal is worth just under $1.4 million, including $117,500 guaranteed and a $117,500 signing bonus.
The Bronx native will return home to play for the Giants, where he has the opportunity to suit up for nine games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, about a 40-minute drive from where he grew up.
Manhertz presumably sits behind Darren Waller, Daniel Bellinger and free agent acquisition Jack Stoll in New York’s depth chart. However, Waller recently announced he is contemplating retirement, while Bellinger will be utilized more as a pass catcher than a blocker. He will compete for a roster spot with Stoll to be the team’s primary blocking tight end, assuming the Giants only keep three tight ends on their 53 man roster come September.
The former Griff most recently played with the Denver Broncos, where he appeared in 16 games, registering two catches for 16 yards. According to Pro Football Reference, he played 367 offensive snaps, 36% of Denver’s offensive plays, while playing 86 special teams snaps, 20% of Denver’s special teams plays.
Before the Broncos, Manhertz played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he caught 6 passes for 42 yards in 2023. Manhertz played 38% of the offensive snaps and 37% of the special teams snaps for Jacksonville.
The 32-year-old tight end graduated from Canisius in 2014 after a successful career with the men’s basketball program, where he averaged 15 points, four assists and 35 minutes per game during his senior year, according to GoGriffs.com. He was also a three-year captain for the Golden Griffins.
Manhertz made the switch to the NFL in 2015 after the Buffalo Bills expressed their interest in inviting him to training camp. As a walk-on for the Bills, he failed to make the roster heading into the preseason but ultimately signed with the New Orleans Saints and made their active roster in 2016. After being waived, he was claimed by the Carolina Panthers, where he began developing a prominent role as a blocking tight end and stayed with the team until the end of the 2020-21 NFL season. He then spent the next two years in Jacksonville, where he caught former number-one overall pick Trevor Lawrence’s first NFL touchdown pass, according to ESPN.
Manhertz is one of just 16 alumni to play in the NFL, and the first since 1987. He’s tied for the longest tenure of an NFL player from Canisius, so playing in 2024 will set the record for most years in the league by a Golden Griffin at nine, according to Pro Football Reference.