Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Johnny Manziel

Discover the career path of Johnny Manziel, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.

Johnny Manziel, known as "Johnny Football," is a former American football quarterback notable for his electrifying college career at Texas A&M, where he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. He played professionally for the Cleveland Browns (NFL), and later had stints in the CFL, AAF, and Fan Controlled Football. Despite his college success, his professional career was marred by off-field issues and failed to live up to expectations.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2010: NUC All World Game

In 2010, Johnny Manziel played in the NUC All World Game, rushing for over 100 yards and throwing for over 200.

2011: Ryan Tannehill Left for NFL

After the 2011 season, Texas A&M faced uncertainty at the quarterback position when Ryan Tannehill left for the National Football League.

2011: Redshirted at Texas A&M

During the 2011 season, Johnny Manziel was redshirted and did not play in any games for Texas A&M, but made the travel squad after enrolling in January.

2011: Attended Texas A&M University

In 2011, Johnny Manziel received an athletic scholarship to attend Texas A&M University, where he attended under coach Mike Sherman.

August 30, 2012: Postponed First Game

On August 30, 2012, Johnny Manziel's first game against Louisiana Tech was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac.

2012: Played for Kevin Sumlin

From 2012, Johnny Manziel played for new coach Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M University.

2012: College Football Debut

In 2012, Johnny Manziel debuted in college football for the Texas A&M Aggies as a redshirt freshman and broke numerous NCAA Division I FBS and SEC records.

2013: Cotton Bowl Classic Victory

In 2013, Johnny Manziel led Texas A&M to a 41–13 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cotton Bowl Classic.

2013: Played for Kevin Sumlin

In 2013, Johnny Manziel played for new coach Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M University.

2013: Record-Breaking Game Against Alabama

In 2013, during the game against No. 1 Alabama, Johnny Manziel threw for a school record of 464 yards and five touchdowns in the 49–42 loss.

2013: Season Start

Texas A&M started the 2013 season with a No. 6 ranking in the Coaches Poll.

January 15, 2014: Draft Stock Rising

As of January 15, 2014, Johnny Manziel's draft stock was reported to be rising.

January 2014: Declared for NFL Draft

In January 2014, Johnny Manziel announced that he would forgo his junior season and enter the 2014 NFL draft.

March 27, 2014: Texas A&M Pro Day

On March 27, 2014, Johnny Manziel elected to throw during Texas A&M's Pro Day, completing 64 of 66 passes to six different receivers.

November 30, 2014: First NFL Touchdown

On November 30, 2014, Johnny Manziel entered the game against the Buffalo Bills, scoring his first NFL touchdown on a 10-yard rush.

2014: NFL Career

In 2014, Johnny Manziel began his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns.

2014: First Career Passing Touchdown

In 2014, Johnny Manziel scored his first career passing touchdown with a 54-yard pass to wide receiver Travis Benjamin.

2014: Drafted by San Diego Padres

In 2014, Johnny Manziel was drafted by the San Diego Padres as a shortstop in the 28th round of the Major League Baseball draft.

2014: Drafted by Cleveland Browns

In 2014, Johnny Manziel was selected by the Cleveland Browns as the 22nd overall pick of the NFL draft.

2015: Released by Browns

After the 2015 season, Johnny Manziel was released by the Cleveland Browns.

2015: End of NFL Career with Cleveland Browns

In 2015, Johnny Manziel's time with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL came to an end.

January 6, 2016: LRMR Ends Partnership

On January 6, 2016, Manziel's marketing agency, LRMR, announced that it would no longer work with Manziel.

February 5, 2016: Criminal Investigation and Agent Departure

On February 5, 2016, the Dallas Police Department announced they were opening a criminal investigation into Johnny Manziel, based on a claim of domestic violence involving his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. Also on February 5, Manziel's agent, Erik Burkhardt, announced that he would no longer represent Manziel.

February 2016: Reports of Browns Cutting Ties

In early February 2016, reports surfaced from NFL Network's Ian Rappaport and ESPN's Pat McManamon indicating that the Browns planned to cut ties with Manziel as soon as the league's fiscal year 2016 began. The Browns also released a statement that Manziel's behavior was undermining the Browns' reputation, and they intended to address his status.

March 11, 2016: Browns Release Manziel

On March 11, 2016, Johnny Manziel was officially released by the Cleveland Browns.

April 19, 2016: Rosenhaus Terminates Contract and Nike Ends Sponsorship

On April 19, 2016, agent Drew Rosenhaus terminated his contract with Johnny Manziel after just two months of representing him. On the same day, Nike ended its sponsorship with Manziel.

June 30, 2016: NFL Suspension

On June 30, 2016, Johnny Manziel was suspended for the first four games of the 2016 NFL season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

2016: Unsigned in 2016 Offseason

Following controversies during the 2016 offseason, Johnny Manziel was not signed by another NFL team.

March 31, 2017: Tiger-Cats Place Manziel on Negotiation List

On March 31, 2017, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) revealed that they had placed Johnny Manziel on their negotiation list, a list of players that each team has exclusive rights to attempt to sign.

December 28, 2017: CFL Approves Manziel to Play

On December 28, 2017, the CFL approved Johnny Manziel to play in the league, giving the Hamilton Tiger-Cats a limited time to offer him a contract or trade his rights.

January 31, 2018: Agent Demands Fair Deal

On January 31, 2018, Manziel's agent, Eric Burkhardt, responded to the Tiger-Cats offer stating that Hamilton had until January 31 to offer his client a "fair deal" or he would seek other professional options. Burkhardt insisted that Manziel be paid in the same range as Tiger-Cats' quarterback Zach Collaros the previous season.

May 19, 2018: Agreement with Tiger-Cats

On May 19, 2018, Johnny Manziel and the Tiger-Cats announced that they had agreed to a two-year contract.

2018: CFL Career

In 2018, Johnny Manziel joined the Canadian Football League (CFL), playing for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes.

2018: Return to Football with Tiger-Cats

In 2018, Johnny Manziel returned to football with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL.

March 16, 2019: Joins Alliance of American Football

On March 16, 2019, Johnny Manziel signed an agreement to join the Alliance of American Football (AAF). He was assigned to the Memphis Express through the waiver system.

2019: AAF Career

In 2019, Johnny Manziel played for the Memphis Express in the Alliance of American Football (AAF).

2019: Alouettes Release Manziel

In 2019, Johnny Manziel was released by the Alouettes on orders from the CFL after league officials determined that he had "contravened" the terms of his CFL contract. The CFL also barred him from signing with any other CFL team.

2019: Shortest QB Drafted until Kyler Murray

In 2019, Johnny Manziel was the shortest quarterback drafted in the first round until Kyler Murray.

September 2020: Manziel Announces Retirement

In September 2020, Johnny Manziel announced his retirement when asked by TMZ about potentially playing in the XFL, stating that football was not at the forefront of his mind. However, he did not completely rule out coming out of retirement.

December 30, 2020: Signs with Fan Controlled Football

On December 30, 2020, Johnny Manziel signed with Fan Controlled Football (FCF), an indoor American football league, and was assigned to the Zappers.

February 2021: Joined FCF out of boredom

In a February 2021 interview with USA Today, Johnny Manziel stated he joined the Fan Controlled Football league out of boredom and expressed disinterest in playing any more professional football in the future.

2021: Fan Controlled Football Career

In 2021, Johnny Manziel played in Fan Controlled Football.

March 25, 2022: Return to FCF

On March 25, 2022, Johnny Manziel announced he would return to FCF for a second season, noting that he would serve as a player-coach for the 2022 season.