Johnny Manziel Rumors: ‘NFL Teams Interested’ Again Claims New Manziel Agent
Johnny Manziel rumors aren’t done just yet. The NFL offseason continues to present new Manziel rumors, whether it is due to his off-field antics or the Cleveland Browns cutting him. Now, a report from NBC Sports has a new story to add to the pile. Drew Rosenhaus is the new agent for quarterback Johnny Manziel, as confirmed in a recent report from ESPN.
This followed news that Manziel’s former agent, Erik Burkhardt, had decided to drop him following the 2015 NFL season. Now Rosenhaus has the task of finding his client a new team, but he must first work at fixing the image that Manziel has created for himself. Can Rosenhaus convince the Dallas Cowboys to show interest in the former Texas A&M product again? That is an unknown, but Rosenhaus did confirm that there is still interest around the NFL.
“I’m not talking much about him publicly. Much of his life and career is public so from the business side we are trying to keep that behind the scenes. Yes, there are teams interested in him.”
Though there are still a lot of Johnny Manziel rumors floating around the NFL, there aren’t any that link him to a specific team. Toward the end of the 2015 NFL season, there were a handful of franchises getting mentioned, including the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Both teams needed to figure out a new option, as the backup quarterback and Manziel presented an interesting situation. When he missed the final regular season game for the Cleveland Browns and then got linked to a domestic violence incident, that interest seemed to just fade away.
The Browns still owe Manziel about $2.2 million for the 2016 NFL season as part of his guaranteed contract. Including the pro-rated part of his signing bonus, Manziel has a “dead cap” number of just over $4.3 million for next year. This shows just how badly that the Browns wanted to part ways with Manziel, as the money is now lost. It also means that Manziel is going to get a salary for this season, whether another team signs him or not. Sitting out the season would not be an ideal situation though. Just ask Tim Tebow.
So can Johnny Manziel overcome all the negative press that he has generated over his two seasons in the NFL? There are some NFL analysts who continue to claim that he simply isn’t good enough to be a starting quarterback in the league. Mixed results through his first 15 games might back up those statements. In eight starts, Manziel posted a 2-6 record with the Browns. Over his 15 games combined, he has completed 57 percent of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He has a quarterback rating of 74.4 to show for it. Those aren’t exactly “world-beating” numbers for a quarterback.
It would be very inexpensive for a new team to sign Manziel this offseason, which could be one of the selling points that Drew Rosenhaus has at his disposal. A team could offer Manziel a minimum wage contract and bring him on as a possible third quarterback heading into the mini camps. Those teams could then see if he is a good fit for the offense and whether Manziel is good enough to become a full-time backup. It could also allow teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and San Francisco 49ers to save money in the short-term.
Two domestic violence cases, struggles in game-time situations, missed practices, trips to Las Vegas, and then missing the final regular season game have led to many Johnny Manziel rumors. Can hiring new agent Drew Ronsenhaus mark the end of the drama, get the former Texas A&M quarterback back on a football field, and bring an end to speculation about his future?
[Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images]
