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Will the Cleveland Browns cut Johnny Manziel on March 9?

By Thomas Moore

Dec 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) walks along the sidelines after throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter in a game againt the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) walks along the sidelines after throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter in a game againt the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) walks along the sidelines after throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter in a game againt the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) walks along the sidelines after throwing an interception late in the fourth quarter in a game againt the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks won 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cleveland Browns are expected to release Johnny Manziel on March 9, but will financial considerations delay the inevitable?

Cleveland Browns fans have had March 9 circled on their calendars for weeks now in anticipation of that day marking the end of the Johnny Manziel circus in Cleveland.

The Browns have been expected to release the troubled and ineffective quarterback shortly after the new league year begins at 4 p.m.

But what if they don’t?

There is the possibility, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that the Browns may not make a quick move on Manziel so that they can recoup some of his signing bonus in the event that he is suspended by the NFL in relation to his ongoing domestic violence case in Dallas.

“On Johnny Manziel, I don’t think the Browns do anything for a while,” Schefter told ESPN Radio during an appearance on Monday. “A lot of people have been waiting for the start of the league year, thinking they were going to release him. The Browns are not expected to release Johnny Manziel when the new league year begins.

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“If I were Cleveland, this is how I would be thinking. Johnny Manziel is probably going to be disciplined by the NFL, probably going to be suspended. If and when he is suspended, the Browns could get back some bonus money.”

If the Browns do release Manziel they will take a cap hit of just slightly more than $2.2 million. If they hold onto him and he is suspended, or if they can find a team willing to take him off their hands, then the Browns are off the hook for at least some of that money.

But is it worth the public relations hit the team will take if Manziel spends one minute more than necessary on the team to save a couple of dollars? While that is a lot of money, it is small when you take into consideration that the Browns:

The key part of Schefter’s comments are that he never says a source told him the Browns will hold onto Manziel, but rather he presents the argument for keeping Manziel as what he would do if he were running the team, which is a big difference.

As for the idea that another team would be willing to make a trade for Manziel, rather than risk “losing out” on him in the wavier process, well what team wouldn’t want a player that, among other things:

  • Was photographed drinking from a bottle of champagne while floating in a pool atop an inflatable swan at a bar in Austin, Texas.
  • Had a video show up on Instagram while holding a stack of money to his ear and pretending it’s a phone.
  • Had a photograph online showing him tightly rolling a dollar bill in the bathroom of a bar.
  • Willingly took off his rookie year without telling his coaches
  • Spent time in an alcohol and drug addiction treatment center
  • Openly lied to his coaches about what he did during the bye week
  • Is being investigated by a grand jury for an incident with his former girlfriend
  • Reportedly showed up at practice drunk
  • Reportedly spent the final week of the season in Las Vegas rather than with team

Yep, that sounds like a player who will be in big demand.

Wednesday has the potential to be a rough day for Browns fans as the team is facing the real possibility of losing actual good players in Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz, Travis Benjamin and Tashaun Gipson.

The idea that Manziel could remain on the roster past 4:01 p.m. would just be rubbing salt into the wounds of Browns fans.

Next: Twas the night before free agency

The Cleveland Browns will open free agency on March 9 with a little more than $48 million in salary cap space to spend. Follow Dawg Pound Daily for all the latest news on free agency as the Browns work to rebuild their roster.

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