Even though they didn’t say that they were actually doing it, the Cleveland Browns will cut controversial quarterback Johnny Manziel. It was reported on Tuesday that Manziel will be cut on March 9, when the new league year begins.
The Browns can’t cut Manziel until next week at the earliest under NFL rules. They have a cap space of $20 million for 2015 which was carried over to 2016. Manziel has guarantees in his contract so the Browns need to absorb the cap hit in 2015 before they cut Manziel and they won’t have the space until March, according to NFL.com. Releasing Manziel this month would have counted $4.6 million against the cap.
"We've been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field. Johnny's continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization," Browns director of football operations Sashi Brown said in a statement. "His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time."
Manziel has made news for off-the field issues rather than his performance on the field. He was in rehab for about 10 weeks for an undisclosed reason last offseason. When he returned, he said that he would keep himself out of the news but that didn’t happen. Last October, Manziel and his girlfriend were questioned by police for an incident on a highway where both of them were drinking. He lost the starting job after he was partying one night in the middle of the season and he missed the Browns final game after he missed a mandated checkup due to partying in Las Vegas, USA Today notes. He is currently being investigated for a possible assault of his ex-girlfriend. The alleged incident with the ex-girlfriend happened last Friday in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Heisman Trophy winner was drafted by the Browns in 2014. He started eight games and appeared in 15. As a starter, he was 2-6, and completed 57 percent of his passes and threw seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in two seasons with the Browns, according to ESPN. Manziel has a 74.4 rating.
Manziel’s future is unknown since its not clear if any team will sign him because the off the field issues don’t seem to be ending anytime soon.