The Giants knew there was virtually no chance to re-sign Mario Manningham once free agency kicked in, because their salary cap budget did not include spending big bucks for a No. 3 receiver, which is where he sat on the depth chart. Now that Manningham has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the 49ers, the Giants are officially in the market for a pass-catcher to augment the skills of Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.
It is highly likely the Giants will turn to the NFL Draft to find a receiver, but probably not very early in the draft. Plus, rookie receivers rarely make much of an impact in the Giants offensive system, as coordinator Kevin Gilbride puts great demands on his receivers as far as making reads and adjustments. A veteran could also be imported in free agency but it won’t be a high-priced player who can be expected to make a huge difference.
Two weeks ago, Eli Manning suspected he had thrown his last pass to Manningham, who greatly enhanced his market value after a sluggish regular season (39 catches for 523 yards and four touchdowns) with a break-out postseason (13 catches for 189 yards and three touchdowns). His 38-yard over-the-shoulder catch in the closing minutes was the play of the game as the Giants came back to beat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.
“He had a tremendous playoff run,’’ Manning said. “He stepped in when Hakeem was hurt or Vic was down. He stepped in and started for us and made big plays. He’s been in this offense a long time and knows it and obviously has big-play potential.’’
As Manningham takes that big-play potential to the Bay Area, the Giants must search for a replacement. From within, the three candidates on the roster are all punctuated with question marks rather than exclamation points. General manager Jerry Reese used a third-round pick in last year’s draft on Jerrel Jernigan to develop into a shifty slot receiver with run-after-catch ability. As a rookie, Jernigan played in only eight games, did not catch a pass and struggled early on punt returns to land him a spot on the inactive list for the bulk of the first half of the season. Given the year to learn the NFL ropes, the Giants hope Jernigan takes a huge step forward because the opportunity is there for him.
This is likely the last opportunity for towering Ramses Barden, a 2009 third-round pick who in three seasons has only 15 catches for 174 yards and needs to show something to stick on the roster.
The other option is Domenik Hixon, who has 63 career receptions but has played in only two games the past two seasons because of two reconstructive anterior cruciate ligament surgeries on the same knee.
Hixon was re-signed last week and the Giants hope he can regain the form that made him a reliable kickoff and punt returner, but asking him to become the third receiver might be a stretch.