Report: Multiple teams may be interested in Johnny Manziel
By Thomas Moore
Nov 15, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) looks to pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second half at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 30-9. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns reportedly may have multiple suitors for troubled quarterback Johnny Manziel once the season comes to a close.
As hard as it may be to believe, there could be teams lining up to help relieve the Cleveland Browns of their Johnny Manziel problem once the 2015 NFL season comes to a close.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the St. Louis Rams, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Chip Kelly (if he is still in the NFL next season) could all be interested in TMZ’s favorite NFL quarterback.
.@AdamSchefter says Rams, 'Boys, 49ers have looked hard at Manziel at some point. And Chip Kelly. "Somebody's gonna roll the dice on him."
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) December 3, 2015
If the Browns can truly create a trade market for Manziel in the off-season, it may be one of the best things to happen to this franchise in a long time. Having numerous teams showing interest in Manziel would allow the Browns to try and play each team off the other to drive up Manziel’s price and, while they would not be able to recoup the first-round pick they used on Manziel, they could get something of value back.
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Trading Manziel, rather than just releasing him outright, would also take away some of the sting of wasting a first-round draft pick on him.
And while the Browns are probably not that crafty, the decision to play Austin Davis over Manziel could be fueled in part by a desire to not expose Manziel and drive down his trade value. After all, despite the outcry over head coach Mike Pettine‘s decision this week, there are still those who are willing to say the emperor has no clothes, like Brad Biggs at The Chicago Tribune, who had this to say when queried about whether the Chicago Bears would be interested in Manziel:
"You looking at the wrong month on the calendar? That’s an April Fool’s question. In Year 2 of his NFL career, Manziel hasn’t demonstrated the professionalism or maturity needed in the NFL, particularly at quarterback. I’d be stunned if general manager Ryan Pace had any interest in Johnny Football, who has been a perpetual headache for the Browns. The Bears should let Cleveland’s busted draft picks hang out in Cleveland."
Or Jean-Jacques Taylor at ESPN, who believes Dallas would be a bad place for Manziel:
"The reality is there couldn’t be a worse city in America for Manziel to play unless, maybe, it was in Houston."
"Part of the reason Manziel currently resides in purgatory is that he hasn’t shown the discipline to be an NFL quarterback."
"The quarterback must be the most trusted and reliable player in an organization because the game revolves around their skill set. Name a good team with a bad quarterback? You can’t. They don’t exist."
Obviously the Browns have valid reasons for not playing Manziel, ones that have nothing to do with his trade value, but it’s fun to throw something out for the conspiracy folks every once in a while.
The reality is that the Browns are stuck with Manziel, for better or worse, and the thought of another team fixing their mistake is just a pleasant fiction at this point.
But it is fun to think about, nonetheless.