Johnny Manziel is back playing pro football in the United States after signing a contract with AAF franchise Memphis Express. Yet don’t for a moment think this move signifies that Johnny Football will be receiving a training camp invite to an NFL team this summer.
At this point, Manziel is nothing more than a publicity stunt: Look everyone! Johnny Manziel is here!
#️⃣2️⃣ in the building.
✈️ | #AllAboard pic.twitter.com/cFwIZe7WAI
— Memphis Express (@aafexpress) March 18, 2019
Yet verily I say unto you, Manziel’s viability as a legitimate NFL-caliber quarterback has long since waned to the point of disappearing altogether.
NFL bust: Quite aside from all the off-field trouble Manziel went through as a member of Cleveland Browns, his play on the field showed he’s not an NFL-caliber signal caller.
- 2014 season: Manziel completed 51.4 percent of his passes, averaging 5.0 yards per attempt while throwing no touchdowns and two interceptions (on 35 attempts).
- 2015 season: Manziel completed 57.8 percent of his passes, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt while throwing seven touchdowns and five interceptions.
- Over the course of his brief NFL career, Manziel appeared in just 15 games, started eight of them and went 2-6 as a starter.
The Spring League: Manziel played in the Spring League early in 2018. And while he did help promote the league and made some splash plays, his play still showed he’s not an NFL-caliber quarterback.
Canada was no cure: Showing himself to still be a mediocre pocket passer, Manziel struggled in his lone season with the Montreal Alouettes.
- 2018 season: Manziel completed 64.2 percent of his passes, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt while throwing five touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Following the 2018 season, Manziel was effectively banned from playing for any CFL teams for violating a rule that has yet to be defined.
The bottom line: Just looking at his body of work as a professional quarterback, Manziel in no way deserves another shot as an NFL passer.
When you factor in his previous off-field issues, the media swarm that comes with him wherever he goes, and the way things ended in the CFL, he’s a player NFL teams will go out of their way to avoid.