Chris Manhertz (born April 10, 1992) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was signed by the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at Canisius.

Early life

Manhertz was born in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York. He attended Cardinal Spellman High School, then

Canisius College Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 ma ...

, a

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

-based Catholic school that had abolished its football program in 2003. Manhertz played for the Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball squad from 2010 to 2014, where he was a standout player and three-year

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

for the squad.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills

Upon graduating college, Manhertz, who had never before played football and whose only experience with the game came from the ''

Madden NFL ''Madden NFL'' (known as ''John Madden Football'' until 1993) is an American football sports video game series developed by EA Orlando for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has ...

'' series,From virtual reality to reality: Chris Manhertz looking to join Bills after never playing football
. ''WKBW-TV'' (May 19, 2016). Retrieved September 18, 2016. began training to change sports and pursue a career in professional football. He was offered a tryout from the

and was signed a future/reserve contract in May 2015, although coach Rex Ryan admitted his chances of making the roster were a longshot. He did not make the Bills' final roster after

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

and the pre-season.

New Orleans Saints

Manhertz joined the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

after being released by the Bills and spent the season on the Saints'

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. Manhertz made the Saints' active roster to start the 2016 season and made his NFL debut on September 18, 2016. He was released on October 16, 2016.

Carolina Panthers

Manhertz was claimed off waivers by the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

on October 17, 2016. He played in 16 games with four starts in 2017 in place of the injured Greg Olsen, recording two catches for 17 yards. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 17 and was placed on injured reserve. In Week 15 of the 2018 season, Manhertz caught his first career

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

on a

trick play A trick play, also known as a gadget play, gimmick play or trickeration, is a play in gridiron football that uses deception and unorthodox tactics to fool the opposing team. A trick play is often risky, offering the potential for a large gain or a ...

50-yard pass from running back

Christian McCaffrey Christian Jackson McCaffrey (born June 7, 1996) is an American professional American football, football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal footbal ...

. On January 29, 2019, Manhertz signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers and was named the starter for the 2020 season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 17, 2021, Manhertz signed a two-year, $6.65 million contract with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. During a Week 1 game against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

, Manhertz caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback

Trevor Lawrence William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospect ...

. It was the first career touchdown pass for Lawrence.

Denver Broncos

On March 15, 2023, Manhertz signed a two-year contract with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

. He was released on March 8, 2024.

New York Giants

On March 16, 2024, Manhertz signed with the

. He played in all 17 games with 11 starts as the primary blocking tight end. On March 8, 2025, Manhertz signed a one-year contract extension with the Giants.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

New York Giants bioCanisius Golden Griffins basketball bioNFL.com bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manhertz, Chris 1992 births Living people Players of American football from the Bronx Basketball players from the Bronx American football tight ends American men's basketball players Buffalo Bills players Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball players Cardinal Spellman High School (New York City) alumni Carolina Panthers players Denver Broncos players Jacksonville Jaguars players New Orleans Saints players New York Giants players Canisius University alumni Forwards (basketball) 21st-century American sportsmen