Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel might see action in the CFL soon, according to Brent Zwerneman of the Houston Chronicle. Zwerneman tweeted that the 24-year-old Manziel “might sign on with a CFL team soon.” However, Zwerneman didn’t mention the CFL team. As the 22nd overall pick by the Browns in the 2014 Draft, Manziel failed to live up to expectations in his two years in Cleveland.
Manziel suited up for 15 games for the Browns, compiling a 2-6 record as a starter. He completed 57 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.
On March 2016, the Browns released Manziel due to his poor field performance and off-field troubles. Manziel has yet to serve the four-game suspension imposed by the NFL in 2016 due to a violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. Manziel is also facing additional suspension, stemming from the domestic violence charge filed by ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley.
Manziel tried out for CFL team
Last month, Manziel showed his wares for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Buffalo, in the presence of some Hamilton coaches and front-office personnel, led by head coach June Jones and vice-president of football operations Kent Austin.Farhan Lalji and Dave Naylor of TSN.ca reported that the team decided not to sign Manziel as they were convinced “he’s not ready to resume his professional career.” According to a source, the Tiger-Cats saw too many red flags in Manziel, prompting them to pass on signing the quarterback.
Manziel hopes to revive career in CFL
After he failed to draw interest in the NFL free-agent market, Manziel considered playing in the CFL to revive his football career. “In terms of looking at the CFL route, it's definitely something that I've looked into," Manziel told Clay Travis of Fox Sports. Manziel played two years at Texas A&M, where he won the Heisman Trophy in his freshman year in 2012.
That year, Manziel completed 295 of 434 passes for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns with nine interceptions. Manziel also showed his dual-threat ability by rushing 201 times for 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns.
In his sophomore year, Manziel went 300-for-429 for 4,114 yards and 37 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He rushed 144 times for 759 yards and nine touchdowns for the Aggies.
In 2014, Manziel announced that he will skip his junior year and join the NFL Draft. Experts tabbed him as a top-5 pick but scouts had contrasting opinions about him. However, that didn’t stop the Browns from trading up and taking him with the 22nd overall pick.
