Cleveland Browns Release Johnny Manziel

To the surprise of no one, the Cleveland Browns released quarterback Johnny Manziel on March 11th after just two years with the team. Manziel was drafted in the first round (22d overall pick) by Cleveland in the 2014 NFL draft. Manziel played college football at Texas A&M in 2012 and 2013, winning just about every award there is during his freshman season, including the 2012 Heisman Trophy.

Things began going downhill for Manziel immediately. The suddenly wealthy but immature “Johnny Football” partied and drank from coast to coast. In January of 2015, he entered alcohol rehab and vowed to clean up his act but it didn’t happen, as the partying resumed full throttle. It didn’t help that pictures and video of his antics showed up on social media. Possibly the final straw occurred when the Dallas police began a domestic violence investigation into allegations he punched his girlfriend multiple times. The NFL is looking into the issue as is a grand jury, which could indict Manziel.

In two years in Cleveland, Manziel played in 15 games (eight starts) and completed 147 of 259=8 pass attempts for 1675 yards and seven touchdowns. He threw seven interceptions. Cleveland still owes him $ 1.169 million this year and $1.004 next season, which they will have to pay unless another team signs him. Manziel has indicated in the past that he’d like to play for the Dallas Cowboys, but it remains to be seen if the Cowboys would entertain thoughts of trying to deal with him. Meanwhile, San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick is interested in playing for the Browns according to ESPN. The Browns and 49ers have had trade discussions.

There isn’t really an NFL highlight reel for Manziel, but these highlights from his college days show his speed and athleticism. He’s only 23 years old, so it’s not too late for him to have a productive NFL career if he got his act together. But don’t hold your breath waiting for that, as the NFL landscape is strewn with the wreckage of those who drank and partied themselves out of the game.