Johnny Manziel won’t receive guaranteed money from Browns
Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel will not receive the guaranteed money he was set to earn over the next two years.
Cleveland Browns fans heard so much negative news about Johnny Manziel since he was drafted in 2014, the mere mention of his name was enough to induce a cringe.
The healing process began when Manziel was released in March, even though the team still owed him over $2 million in guaranteed money. Or so we thought.
The Browns had the ability to void the remaining money owed to Manziel, and they did just that, according to Pro Football Talk:
"Per three different sources with knowledge of the situation, the Browns voided Manziel’s remaining guaranteed money before cutting him. No grievance was filed by the NFL Players Association in response to the voided guarantee, apparently because Cleveland’s case for voiding the guarantees was regarded as open and shut.As PFT explained in March, the Browns had the power to void Manziel’s guaranteed money in various ways: (1) a suspension imposed by the league under any policy; (2) a suspension imposed by the team; (3) failure or refusal to report, practice, or play; or (4) leaving the team without prior written consent."
Manziel was owed $2.173 million over the next two years, but voiding the guaranteed money is a small victory for the Browns after the negative publicity Manziel brought to the franchise.
The team gave him multiple opportunities to redeem himself, but he was never able to become the great quarterback he could have been.
The decision seemed to be backed up by the third and fourth clauses described in the PFT article. Manziel allegedly being in Las Vegas the night before the team’s season finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers seems to fit the description.
Whether the story was true or not, Manziel did enough during his tenure to get his guaranteed money taken away. He did well when he actually focused on football, but it was clear his personal problems had to be dealt with before he could be trusted not only as a starting quarterback, but at any spot on the depth chart.
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The fact he made it two years without being cut is a wonder in itself. He may find himself on an NFL roster at some point in the future, but the Browns officially cut ties with him by removing his name from the team’s payroll.