The Cleveland Browns are rumored to be getting Johnny Manziel back in time for offseason workouts, but may still be considering taking at least the year off from football.
Manziel has been in rehab for the last several weeks, and while there is no set date for when he will leave treatment and return to the team, sources told ESPN he is trying to be back for the offseason workouts that start April 20.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer seemed to confirm that Manziel would be back by April, but said the ultimate decision is out of his hands.
“I don’t think it’s in doubt,” Farmer said from the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix when asked whether he thinks Manziel will be back in time for the April 20 workouts. “Again, I’m not the point person in that. So I would defer to those kind of controlling his care and let them decide what that looks likes.”
Farmer also wouldn’t say where Manziel stood in the quarterback competition for next season.
“That’d be the equivalent of me telling you that I could predict the future and tell you that he’s not prepared,” Farmer said. “If he is prepared and he demonstrates the things that he needs to demonstrate, then yeah he should get every opportunity to be the guy.”
There may be a reason for Farmer wavering on Johnny Manziel’s position with the Cleveland Browns. Rumors indicate that Manziel may choose to sit out the entire 2015 season, though it’s not clear if it is related to his stay in rehab.
On his ESPN radio show earlier this month, Tony Rizzo said that sources close to the team informed him that Manziel was likely done for 2015 .
“I have to bring this up, I feel obligated to, and I’m not gonna reveal sources, but I have from good sources of mine, people that I’ve trusted in the past who’ve been right, not wrong, they say Johnny will not play at all this year,” Rizzo said.
WOW BREAKING NEWS: @TheRealTRizzo said a source very close to him said Johnny Manziel will not play in the 2015 @NFL season #SameOldBrowns
— Sports Buzz OHIO (@ClevelandBadGuy) March 13, 2015
The Cleveland Browns are rumored to be looking for new quarterback help as well. With Johnny Manziel’s future uncertain, the team is reportedly looking to trade up in the NFL Draft to land Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota. The Browns had already hired Mariota’s quarterback coach, Kevin O’Connell, giving them an inside track before the draft.
[Image via NFL Now/Twitter]
