NFL Rumors: Top Five Teams That May Sign Johnny Manziel For The 2016 Season
The Johnny Manziel era with the Cleveland Browns is about to come to an end, and honestly, it pretty much already is. On Tuesday, the Browns released a statement announcing they would be releasing Manziel on Mar. 8 when the new NFL year officially begins. Once he clears waivers, a few teams will have the first shot at him, but it will be interesting to see who actually takes a chance by signing him.
Over the weekend, police were called to investigate an incident involving Manziel and his ex-girlfriend in Fort Worth, Texas, according to ESPN. An investigation is still ongoing and the NFL is seriously looking into this situation, considering the large amount of off-field problems that Manziel has dealt with during his short two-year career.
As NBC Sports reported, the Browns may use this month to try and trade Manziel, but if no-one bites, then they will release him on Mar. 8. When he is, the Tennessee Titans and San Diego Chargers will have first crack at him with the waiver positioning, but they don’t really have a need for him.
Whenever a troubled and big-name player becomes available, when aren’t the Dallas Cowboys mentioned? See: Marshawn Lynch. Still, Manziel’s troubles may not even be something that Jerry Jones wants to take a chance on by bringing him to Dallas.
Tony Romo has dealt with injury after injury and he’s not getting any younger. Yes, the Cowboys also need a stable and reliable back-up quarterback, but Manziel may be more trouble than he’s worth. Still, even Troy Aikman thinks that Dallas could be the landing spot for the young QB.
San Francisco 49ers
Chip Kelly is the new head coach in San Francisco and it would not be shocking for him to want to sign a quarterback like Manziel for whatever high-powered offense he will bring in. Blaine Gabbert was supposedly going to be the starter going into training camp, and the status of Colin Kaepernick is up in the air at this time.
With Kelly coming in, Kaepernick may be sticking around and Gabbert may be on his way out, as reported by Fansided. Either way, the 49ers may have a quarterback opening and a new head coach who loves a unique and explosive offense so Manziel may have a place to land.
Philadelphia Eagles
Sam Bradford could end up leaving the Eagles if the team chooses not to re-sign him, but NJ states that it would benefit Philly to bring him back. He’s injury-prone and has his up-and-down times as he’s always had in the NFL, but is Johnny Manziel a better option?
For their first season back in Los Angeles, the Rams know that they have a quarterback situation that is as confusing as humanly possible. Nick Foles will get a chance to compete for the starting job and see what Case Keenum can do as well, but neither of them is a clear-cut favorite to lead the team in 2016.
Johnny Manziel could be an attractive option for a team that is moving to a new location, needs a starting quarterback, and is trying to bring a lot of attention to their return to Los Angeles. The main question now is if bringing Johnny Manziel to a city like Los Angeles is the best idea.
Oakland Raiders
Much like the Cowboys, the Raiders were always one of those teams that always liked to take a chance on troubled players, but that was more when Al Davis was still alive. The Raiders improved to 7-9 in 2015 and have a good thing going with Derek Carr as their quarterback. It’s hard to think they would bring in Manziel, but stranger things have happened.
It’s hard to know exactly what is going to happen with Johnny Manziel and his NFL career. All that’s really confirmed is that the Cleveland Browns will release him next month, but it’s hard to tell what time may take a chance and sign him. If the Cowboys or Raiders end up balking at the opportunity to bring him in, then Manziel’s NFL career may be done before it even really gets started.
[Image by George Gojkovich/Getty Images]
