MOBILE, Ala. — Johnny Manziel’s workouts caused a major stir inside the Hamilton Tiger-Cats organization.
His agent’s recent proclamation of a Jan. 31 deadline for the Canadian Football League franchise to sign Manziel hasn’t.
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Hamilton general manager Eric Tillman said Wednesday night that the club is aware of Erik Burkhardt’s demand that Manziel receive a “fair deal” from the Ti-Cats or the quarterback will begin focusing on “several other professional options readily available to us.
The threat isn’t motivating the Ti-Cats to take immediate action.
“A lot of stuff happens in the negotiation process,” Tillman told me and co-hosts Rick Neuheisel and Mark Dominik on SiriusXM NFL Radio during a scouting trip to the Reese’s Senior Bowl. “We have a lot of respect for Erik. Our meetings with Johnny have been good.
“We’ll be patient. I know the deadline is there but will be fluid. There’s a lot of time between now and the beginning of camp (in May).”
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Hamilton owns the CFL rights to Manziel, who is attempting a comeback two seasons removed from the NFL. Manziel visited with the Ti-Cats in September but Hamilton was barred by CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie from signing until the fallen star had met certain off-field conditions pertaining primarily to his battles with substance abuse.
The CFL cleared Manziel last month after he met with Ambrosie and fulfilled the commitments.
“We’re in a world now where sometimes people are identified by their worst moments,” Tiller said. “All people make mistakes. Certainly young people do.
“I see a lot of good in Johnny. We see a lot of upside in him. We visited with him and looked him in the eye. I think he’s a guy who wants to reestablish himself even more as a person than a player. If he comes, I think it will be a win-win situation.”
Manziel did plenty of winning during his time at Texas A&M, earning the nickname “Johnny Football” and becoming the first freshman ever to win the Heisman Trophy in 2012. Manziel became a 2014 first-round pick in Cleveland where he experienced two tumultuous years both on and off the field.
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Manziel’s behavior at the end of the 2015 campaign — most notably blowing off a meeting with team doctors to party in Las Vegas — combined with the hiring of a new Browns front office led to his release during the 2016 offseason. No other team signed Manziel, who had gone 2-6 as a starter with seven touchdowns, seven interceptions, 57.0 completion percentage and 74.4 passer rating in Cleveland.
Manziel’s personal spiral continued at a pace where it seemed even TMZ had a hard time keeping up with developments that included wrecked houses, crashed cars, a lost Nike sponsorship and sentencing for a previous misdemeanor domestic violence indictment involving his ex-girlfriend.
Tillman, though, believes Manziel has recommitted himself to football based upon his performance in two Hamilton workouts. Tillman said Manziel wasn’t in the best overall shape but his arm wowed Ti-Cats brass.
“His accuracy we absolutely ridiculous,” said Tillman, noting that Manziel connected on 52 of 54 targets. “He’s throwing against air, but still, we see a lot of good signs.
“The bumps are well documented. But we want to see him get on with the rest of his life and be very successful.”
The tricky part is compensation. In a statement released earlier this month, Burkhardt said he was looking for a salary “on par with what Hamilton has paid its QB in recent years despite not having much on-field success.”
MORE: Manziel trolls the Browns
Zach Collaros, who was Hamilton’s 2017 starter, reportedly made a $520,000 salary in Canadian money. That would translate to $491,897 U.S. based upon Wednesday’s exchange rate.
As a third-year NFL veteran, Manziel’s minimum NFL salary would be $705,500. Manziel, though, remains unsigned even though all teams but the two Super Bowl 52 participants (New England and Philadelphia) are free to ink free agents to futures contracts for the 2018 season.
The CFL also would provide a better opportunity for Manziel to receive meaningful playing time with the inside track to starting under Hamilton head coach June Jones, who is a huge advocate of signing him.
“The things we do in our league certainly maximize his skill set and give him a chance to create an opportunity if he plays very well,” said Tillman, who was promoted to Ti-Cats GM in 2016. “If he were to play to his potential, he could come back after a couple of years in Canada and there would be suitors across the board for a quarterback that has his physical skill set.”
Under CFL rules, Manziel would have to spend two seasons in Canada before being eligible to sign with an NFL team for the 2020 campaign. Manziel would be 28 years old at that point.
“We’re not here to be a farm system,” Tiller said. “We’re very proud of our game and our league and we love guys that come into Canada and become CFL lifers. But we also take pride in the guys that come and play, excel and then go back (to the NFL) and do well. You want what’s best for them.”
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At some point, both sides have to ultimately determine whether it’s best for Manziel to become a Ti-Cat.
“There aren’t many benefits of being 60, which I am now, but one is that you learn the value of patience,” Tiller said. “[Burkhardt] is doing his job and trying to represent his client.
“Johnny certainly is a guy that was an elite player and has a high profile. I’m not going to negotiate obviously on the air but we understand that (deadline) is just part of the process.”
Just like Manziel trying to get back on his feet.
Alex Marvez can be heard from 8 to 11 p.m. ET Thursday on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
