INQUISITR.COM / Sports

Cleveland Browns Rumor: Johnny Manziel Will Remain With Team — For Now

By Ernie Howell
Published on: 15:54 PST, Mar 9, 2016

The Cleveland Browns have decided to hang onto Johnny Manziel – for now.

While many expected the trouble quarterback to be terminated as soon as the season kicked off at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, the team did not make such a move. Fox Sports explained the Cleveland Browns have decided to hold onto Johnny Manziel for a little while longer in hopes of finding a trading partner for the athlete.

Cleveland writer Mary Kay Abbot was the first to report that the Cleveland franchise would not cut Manziel on the first day of the off-season. Abbot took to Twitter to detail the Browns’ thinking on how to handle Johnny Football.

“Why not waive [Browns’] Manziel today? Teams have been busy w/ free agency. Gives teams another day or 2 to ponder giving up late-round pick.”

In a story for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Abbot further explained the reasoning behind Cleveland leading Johnny on the football roster.

“The Browns hung onto Manziel on the chance that a team offers them a conditional late-round pick for him. The first day of free agency is such a frenzied period that teams have to focus on signing and re-signing free agents.”

Is there actually a potential trade partner for Johnny Manziel? Yes, Abbot estimated. Despite his legal troubles, several media outlets believe that Johnny will eventually land on his feet on someone else’s field, a move that did not happen in a similar situation to ex-NFL player Ray Rice.

Adding the Cleveland Browns would wait until Friday before moving on from the former Heismann winner if no trade partner is found, the writer noted any team trading for Johnny Manziel would also take over the $2.6 million in bonuses and guarantees in the process.

For the Cleveland Browns, trading Johnny Manziel would prove to be a win-win situation, providing some relief for the troubles the Texas A&M product caused the proud NFL organization. Regardless of when the move is made to terminate their relationship with Johnny Football, many Cleveland fans are ready for the split.

The Cleveland area and its fans have ended their love affair with Manziel. LeBron James and his marketing firm were one of the first to officially end the Johnny era as the firm sacked the Browns’ quarterback from their roster of athletes.

The final straw for the Cleveland Browns came this past winter when Johnny allegedly attacked his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley in Dallas. Johnny Manziel is facing potential charges and a grand jury investigation for the situation.

Partying and run-ins with the law have ultimately hurt Manziel and kept teams from focusing on his potential. In some ways, Johnny is in a similar situation with the Cleveland Browns as NFL legend Brett Farve faced with the Atlanta Falcons, prompting several to make comparisons between the two signal callers, The Inquisitr reported.

In other news surrounding the Cleveland Browns, four starters off of last year’s team found new homes on the opening day of the free agency period. Alex Mack (Atlanta Falcons), Travis Benjamin (San Diego Chargers), Mitchell Schwartz (Kansas City Chiefs), and Tashaun Gipson (Jacksonville Jaguars) departed from the NFL franchise without a single player being added to the roster.

To make the day – and matters worse – Johnny Manziel stayed, a move ridiculed by ESPN writer Pat McManamon.

“But losing four starters who were drafted or signed by Cleveland and grew up with the Browns while adding nobody and keeping the team’s biggest headache and distraction from the past two seasons? Well, that’s a ‘That’s So Browns’ way to start free agency if ever there was one.”

What do you think about Johnny Manziel remaining on the Cleveland Browns roster? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images]

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