Cleveland Browns: The end is nigh for Johnny Manziel
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns have reached the end of Johnny Manziel’s antics as they will reportedly release the quarterback on March 9.
The Cleveland Browns will reportedly release quarterback Johnny Manziel when the new NFL league year begins on March 9, according to multiple media reports.
The decision comes on the heels of Manziel’s latest off-field incident where he was involved with an alleged domestic assault with his girlfriend and included a police helicopter search for Manziel.
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While the move to cut ties with Manziel has probably been in the making for some time, the latest incident resulted in a statement from executive vice president of Sashi Brown that makes it pretty clear what the team has planned for Manziel:
"“We’ve been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field. Johnny’s continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization. His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time.”"
The Browns could release Manziel as early as Feb. 8, per league rules, but will hold off until March 9 for salary cap reasons, according to several media reports. The Browns have $20 million in cap space from 2015 that carried over to 2016, and with certain salary guarantees in Manziel’s contract that would count $4.6 million against the salary cap, the Browns will have to wait salary cap increases in March to jettison Manziel.
It was going to be difficult for Manziel to remain with the Browns even without the off-the-field nonsense as his on-field performance has been mediocre at best. In two seasons, has played in 15 games, going 2-6 as a starter, while completing just 57 percent of his passes, throwing for seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, and posting a quarterback rating of 74.4.
Related: Police question Johnny Manziel after altercation
When you add in the embarrassment and headache he brings off the field, it’s not hard to see why the Browns are prepared to move on.
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Head coach Hue Jackson made it clear he wants nothing to do with Manziel when he was hired, saying the team needs a quarterback, and doubled-down on that in comments about the latest incident.
“My general reaction would be disappointment,” Jackson said on ESPN Cleveland 850. “As I’ve said many times, I would like for the Cleveland Browns’ players to conduct themselves in a manner that represents the organization well.
“Obviously, that reflected differently on what we want to have happen. Obviously, it’s a process that we’re going through, and we’ll continue to go through it.”
With the end of his time in Cleveland rapidly approaching, Manziel (or his agent) have reportedly been trying to sell the idea that other teams would be interested in the troubled quarterback.
But while the rest of the league may not be as intimate with Manziel’s problems as the Browns, they are not blind to his public antics, so the hope that the Browns may be able to trade Manziel, rather than just release him, is about as promising as Manziel’s career prospects right about now.