He played for eight seasons in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Detroit Lions.

[3] As a senior safety in 1996, Manuel was a Florida Class 6A all-state selection who made ninety-six tackles, nine interceptions, and eight blocked passes.

[3] He received high school All-America recognition from National Recruiting Advisor, PrepStar, and SuperPrep, and was rated among the top defensive back prospects in the country.

[4] As a junior in 2000, Manuel served as a key leader on Florida's 10–2 Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship team that earned a berth in the Sugar Bowl.

[3] As a senior team captain in 2001, he helped lead the Gators to a 10–2 record, a 56–23 victory over the Maryland Terrapins in the Orange Bowl, and a final No.

In his first season with Seattle in 2004, he played in fifteen games, finishing with ten tackles (seven solo) on defense and had nine stops on special teams.

Manuel started the Super Bowl at free safety but injured his hip in the second quarter, and was replaced by Etric Pruitt.

[8] Memorably, he intercepted a pass deflected by Ahmad Carroll and returned it twenty-nine yards for a touchdown against the Detroit Lions on September 24.

[8] He played in all sixteen regular season games for the Broncos, starting in fourteen of them, and tallying eighty-three tackles and four blocked passes.

During his eight seasons in the NFL, Manuel played in 116 games, starting in fifty-seven of them, and compiled 366 tackles; he also had fifteen blocked passes, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles.

[13] In 2014 he was promoted to assistant secondaries coach, helping the Seahawks reach Super Bowl XLIX, where they lost to the New England Patriots.