Photo: Chris Faytok, The Star-Ledger
- Adam ParkerThree weeks ago in Super Bowl XLVI, Mario Manningham made three critical catches during one of the most important drives in New York Giants history.
However, I guess it holds true that all good things must come to an end as it now appears increasingly likely that his trio of receptions in the Super Bowl will be the last of his career in the Big Apple.
Manningham has "virtually no chance" to return to the Giants and is expected to follow former Giants' assistant Mike Sullivan to the Buccaneers, sources at the NFL Scouting Combine told CBSSports.com.
Sullivan was named the Bucs' new offensive coordinator earlier this month.
Manningham's Super Bowl heroics will surely make him a rich man, no doubt, just not with the G-Men.
The 38-yard toe-tapping catch in the Super Bowl impressed a number of teams around the league, and all signs point to Manningham leaving via free agency and signing on the dotted line with one of them, likely the Buccaneers.
For one, making that tight-rope catch in the biggest game of the year has made Manningham's head swell to the size of a blimp; and like most athletes, an increase in cranium size is usually just ahead of what's more important -- the want for a bigger paycheck.
The Giants aren't willing and/or able to dole out the kind of serious coin that Manningham and his agent will be asking for this off-season. Not only that, they're currently over the salary cap and have two other wide receivers in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz who are ahead of Manningham on the depth chart and will soon require their own sizable contract extensions.
Manningham reportedly wants to play in a warmer climate and be a part of an offense where he can be a focal point -- neither of which he can do as a member the Giants with Nicks and Cruz locked in as the preeminent one-two punch.
His best fit would actually be with the Buccaneers. Obviously playing in Tampa Bay would provide the warm weather Manningham prefers and the hiring of Sullivan as the new offensive coordinator would provide him with a level of familiarity while adjusting to a new city and team.
Add in the fact that the Bucs' top two wide receivers -- Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn -- are average at best, and you have all the necessary ingredients for the former Michigan product to start house hunting in Tampa.
Manningham won't be the first player to cash in on a strong Super Bowl performance. And while he doesn't possess the raw skills or consistency of a true No. 1 receiver, Manningham has more than proved in his four seasons in New York he's fully capable of being a playmaker -- something that the Bucs' passing offense is in dire need of.
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