It is easy to look past the importance of a player like New York Giants tight end Chris Manhertz. After all, the veteran free-agent-to-be has just 30 receptions in an 10-year career.
Reasons to keep Manhertz
Basketball teams all need players who don’t need the ball to contribute. There are lots of other things that go into winning. Football teams are the same. Manhertz is one of those guys who does the unappreciated grunt work so that other guys can get the glory, and his team has an opportunity to win.
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Manhertz has been one of the league’s best blocking tight ends for a decade. He still is. For the Giants, he has also been a willing and valuable special teams contributor. In 2025, he played 218 special teams snaps, the most of his career. For a 33-year-old, that is unusual.
Manhertz is also a veteran leader familiar with the NFL’s ups and downs. Also, by NFL standards he works cheap. Spotrac calculates his 2026 market value at $1.1 million after he made $1.4 million in 2025.
Reasons to let Manhertz go
NFL teams need blocking tight ends. It would be nice, though, if that blocking tight end also had to be respected as a viable receiving threat.
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If the Giants can find a younger player with a bit of receiving upside to fill that role at a bargain price, the little bit of added versatility that might bring could be helpful.
Verdict
Keep him.
He is still good at his job, and if the John Harbaugh Giants are as serious about building in the trenches as we believe they will be they will need a player like Manhertz. If nothing else, bring him back and let him compete for a roster spot. If you wind up cutting him, the dead money hit will be fairly insignificant.
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