Giants Free Agents Include Mario Manningham, Other Super Bowl Stars

The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI 21-17. The Giants were able to pick up the victory thanks to the play of some players who are scheduled to hit free agency. Wide receiver Mario Manningham made a key catch on the sideline for the Giants on the late drive where they took the lead, but he's slated to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Here's a list of the other impending free agents for the Giants:

offensive linemen Kareem McKenzie, Tony Ugoh, and Stacy Andrews, defensive backs Terrell Thomas, Deon Grant, Derrick Martin, Justin Tryon, and Aaron Ross, defensive linemen Dave Tollefson, Rocky Bernard, and Jimmy Kennedy, punter Steve Weatherford, linebackers Jonathan Goff and Chase Blackburn, quarterback David Carr, kick returner Devin Thomas, and punt returner Will Blackmon.

While only a handful of these pending free agents are starters, that's quite a bit of potential loss for the Giants. Manningham was passed on the depth chart and on the stat sheet by Victor Cruz, but he still played a big role for the Giants. Kareem McKenzie is the Giants starter at right tackle, but he's still getting a bit long in the tooth and would need to be replaced soon anyways. That being said, the Giants are also slated to lose some offensive line depth to free agency with Ugoh and Andrews hitting the open market.

The Giants were hit hard with injuries in the defensive backfield and at linebacker this season, but they had quite a bit of depth there and have five defensive backs scheduled to hit free agency with at least four of those players being major contributors and at one point starters for the defense. Goff started all 16 games at linebacker for the Giants, but Blackburn became a starter as a late season pick up do to injuries. Blackburn did however play well enough to make the Giants think about retaining him.

For more on the New York Giants and free agency, visit SB Nation's Giants blog Big Blue View.