Perry Dominici

Johnny Manziel took a big step in his attempt at an NFL comeback this week, announcing that he is signing a two-year contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football league, as first reported by the big J journalists at Barstool Sports. JFF has been aimed at a return to the gridiron, dubbing this year #ComebackSZN.

The last we saw of Johnny Football playing actual football was with the Cleveland Browns. After lighting up the SEC and winning a Heisman at Texas A&M, he was selected with the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s actually the last Browns quarterback to win a game on a Sunday, which is just a ridiculous fact. But, that’s about all he accomplished with Cleveland. He was cut in 2016 after plenty of off the field issues plagued his time as a professional football player.

Manziel has been able to keep his name on the radar by playing any sort of football he can. He participated in the Spring League in April, playing two games and showing flashes of his time as the most electric college athlete ever (definitely a fact). He also participated in the University of San Diego’s pro day, dropping dimes to the draft hopefuls. Manziel impressed several NFL scouts, as he took over as the main attraction. One team that seemed to show some serious interest in him were the New England Patriots. The team met twice with the quarterback, before and after he threw at the pro day, the only team to do so. Johnny has also been verbally interested in joining the Pats, but what player wouldn’t? He’s been an open fan of Brady and the team, donning a number 12 jersey and other sorts of New England gear on several occasions.

Manziel’s hopes of playing in the NFL seem brighter now more than ever because, along with actually getting on a field more, he’s cleaned up his act a bit. Part of the legend of Johnny Football was the way he acted when he wasn’t playing football; getting blacked out and showing off his stacks of money were some of his favorite hobbies. He’s been completely sober, announcing his improved way of life this past January. This bodes well for Manziel’s chances at an NFL possibly taking an interest in him, as his off  field antics are certainly a bigger factor in keeping him away from the game than any lack of ability.

While the idea of Manziel going directly back to the League has certainly been a point of intrigue during the NFL offseason, it really was nothing more than rumors. The most likely route for Johnny to get back to doing what he does best is to go through the CFL. The Canadian league kicked off their training camps the same week Manziel signed his contract, with the regular season beginning in early June. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Johnny return to his Texas A&M form, because that was some of the most entertaining football to watch. But, in the meantime, all we can do is hope that this step in #ComebackSZN leads to an NFL return, because football is always better with Johnny Football.