Johnny Manziel was released by the Montreal Alouettes on Wednesday "based on the direction of the Canadian Football League after it was found that Manziel had contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play in the league."
It's not clear what Manziel did to make him ineligible, but the statement continues to say, "the CFL has informed all of its clubs that it will not register a contract for (Manziel) should any club attempt to sign him." In other words, Manziel is effectively banned from the CFL.
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Manziel did not exactly impress in the CFL, completing 106 of 165 passes for 1,290 yards with five touchdown passes and seven interceptions (in eight games). An NFL return at this moment is out of the question considering he didn't play well at the top level, either.
But luckily for Manziel, there are a few startup football leagues that could be interested in him. The Alliance of American Football has gotten off to a strong start with solid ratings, and the XFL is gaining interest as well, although that league won't launch until next year.
So would either league be interested in bringing in Manziel? First, it depends on what he did to get banned from the CFL. This seems like a dramatic step for the league to take, so if Manziel did something serious, he might not even be worth touching for other leagues.
But we know the AAF reached out to Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow in an effort to get some star power for their league. The XFL also reached out to Kaepernick, per Sporting News sources.
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If Manziel's actions that "contravened" his agreement in the CFL were not too serious, one of these leagues could go after the quarterback. And the Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M seems open to both leagues, recently talking about them on his "Comback SZN" podcast.
"I don't know exactly what my next steps will be for the next years coming up, but at least there's a lot of options," Manziel said at the time. "Me and E.B. (agent Erik Burkhardt) are fully committed to playing ball and trying to get into the best situation possible and that’s what it’s all about.”
I want to thank Coach Sherman, my teammates, and the CFL fans. My time there reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it. I look forward to exploring new options within the United States.
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 27, 2019
So let's look at each league to see if there's a fit for Manziel.
Johnny Manziel to AAF?
Bill Polian explained the AAF allocation rules to the Associated Press ahead of the start of the season. Players signed from the CFL would be allocated to specific franchises in the AAF based on CFL affiliations, but since Manziel was released, those rules do not apply to him.
“When a player is cut or he is not in the NFL or CFL, the first thing is we look for a college affiliation," Polian explained. "His rights are your property if he is affiliated with one of your colleges. If his college is not assigned, we go to his pro team. If the NFL team does not work, and he is in the CFL, we go to that. Finally, if he is completely unallocated, he can be put on rights list first-come, first-serve."
In short: Manziel's college affiliation with Texas A&M means he'd be allocated the San Antonio Commanders.
San Antonio benched starting QB Logan Woodside in Week 3 in favor of Marquise Williams. It doesn't appear to be a permanent move, but it at least suggests the team looking at trying something new on offense. If nothing else, Manziel would spark a lot of fan interest.
The fact that Manziel is limited to one team hurts his chances of joining the AAF. He has to hope the San Antonio front office buys into his comeback story, especially given the question of what exactly caused his demise in the CFL.
Johnny Manziel to XFL?
On the surface, this seems like a logical destination for Manziel. He even expressed immediate interest after the league was announced in 2018.
— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) January 25, 2018
However, it's important to note what Vince McMahon said when he started the league: "We are evaluating a player based on many things, including the quality of human being they are. If you have any sort of criminal record or commit a crime you aren't playing in this league."
McMahon was asked specifically about Manziel and responded, "You want someone who does not have any criminality associated whatsoever with them. Even if you have a DUI you will not play in the XFL. So that will probably eliminate some of them. Not all of them. If Tim Tebow wants to play, he can very well play."
These comments would seem to hurt the chances of Manziel, who was arrested and charged with three misdemeanors in 2012 (he pleaded guilty to one charge while the other two were dropped), to join the XFL. He was also indicted on a misdemeanor assault charge in 2016 after he was accused of hitting and threatening his former girlfriend. He ended up reaching a dismissal agreement that cleared him of all charges in that case.
Maybe McMahon and the XFL would be willing to change their stance on that issue, but for now, it doesn't seem like Manziel would fit.
