Johnny Manziel is willing to get back in the NFL by any means possible according to NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo.
“I can tell you this: via sources close to Johnny, that he is in touch with multiple NFL head coaches, there have been conversations. Those people around him believe it’s a very real possibility that he could return to the NFL whether before or after his appearance in The Spring League,” Garafolo said on NFL Network.
“And I will also tell you this: teams have been informed that Manziel will take zero dollars guaranteed, minimum salary if need be. And you may not know this: he’s still eligible for the practice squad. He would be open to signing a practice squad contract, staying on a team’s practice squad and proving that he is in the right mindset throughout this entire NFL season to get himself back in the right place with a lot of NFL evaluators.”
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner has been out of the NFL for nearly two years after being released by Cleveland on Mar. 11, 2016.
That seems to be a much different tone than Manziel and his camp took with regards to negotiations with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Erik Burkhardt issued a public ultimatum to the Ticats in early January, saying the team had until the end of the month to offer his client a contract “on par with what Hamilton has paid their QB in recent years, despite not having much on-field success,” a number that would have put him in upper reaches of the CFL pay scale.
The Browns selected Manziel in the first-round, 22nd overall in the 2014 NFL draft. He played in 14 games, starting eight (2-6 win-loss), completing 147 of 258 passes (57 per cent completion rate) for 1,675 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, posting a 74.4 QB rating. Manziel added 46 carries for 259 yards (5.6-yards-per-carry) and one touchdown.
