It’s been about three months since I last wrote about Johnny Manziel, and in those three months, Manziel has begun and completed his Spring League stint, filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical company MusclePharm, lobbied hard for the Patriots QB job, and most recently been hospitalized for a brief time. Through all this excitement, Manziel still has yet to be (publicly) offered an NFL job.
Although NFL scouts reportedly watched as Manziel threw for 188 yards, completed 10-16 passes, and ran for two scores in his second and final Spring League game (per ESPN), it appears that none were impressed enough to dial him up right away. For that, shame on them. Shame on any NFL scout who watched Manziel show flashes of vintage Johnny Football in the developmental league and then went home that night without picking up the phone to call his or her GM and give the green light on Manziel.
Back in February, I may have jumped the gun with regard to my excitement about the Spring League, its actual influence on NFL GMs, and the imminence of Manziel’s comeback, but I maintain my standing on the issue of quarterback play in the NFL: It has not been great. There is a major drop off after the top 10 quarterbacks in the league, and I think Manziel certainly has the talent and the ability to perform there––even if it’s just as a backup.
Today, Manziel has an offer for a 2-year deal with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats (per ESPN). Not the Hamilton Tigers. Not the Hamilton Wildcats. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats. As Money Manziel mulls his offer over, the Canadian Football League prepares for training camp to begin May 16th. If my math is correct, that would mean Manziel has four days to either sign with the Tiger-Cats or hold out for an NFL team.
There were rumblings earlier in the year that the CFL may change its rookie contract policy to fit Manziel’s short-term needs, but, alas, the big-brained executives over the border decided that trimming down the 2-year mandate on the rookie contract in order to get one of the biggest free-agent football players in the world would be a bad idea.
Instead, the world awaits as the 16th approaches to see whether or not Johnny Manziel will take his talents north of the border.
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