Chris Manhertz (born April 10, 1992) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at Canisius.

Early life

Manhertz was born in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, New York. He attended Cardinal Spellman High School, then Canisius College, a

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

-based Catholic school that had abolished its football program in 2003. Manhertz played for the

Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball : ''For information on all Canisius College sports, see Canisius Golden Griffins'' The Canisius Golden Griffins men's basketball team, or the Griffs, represent Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, United States. Canisius is a member of the Me ...

squad from 2010 to 2014, where he was a standout player and three-year captain 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 video game series developed by EA Tiburon for EA Sports. It is named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden and sold more than 130 m ...

'' 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 Buffalo Bills and was signed a future/reserve contract in May 2015, although coach

Rex Ryan Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching position ...

admitted his chances of making the roster were a longshot. He did not make the Bills' preseason roster.

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 league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

after being released by the Bills and spent the season on the Saints' practice squad. 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

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 on a trick-play 50-yard pass from running back

Christian McCaffrey Christian Jackson McCaffrey (born June 7, 1996) is an American football running back for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers eighth overa ...

. 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

. During a Week 1 game against the Houston Texans, Manhertz caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback

Trevor Lawrence William Trevor Lawrence (born October 6, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Considered among the highest-touted college football prospects, he won the 2019 National C ...

. It was the first career touchdown pass for Lawrence.

Denver Broncos

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

Career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

Carolina Panthers 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