Decorated past
and the AAF had reached an agreement, but that the San Antonio Commanders (which owned his rights per the league’s allocation system) opted to waive his rights. Manziel’s rights, per AAF rules, then were offered to the team with the lowest current winning percentage (the 1-5 Memphis Express).
What Johnny Manziel will make?
The AAF offers a standard player agreement, meaning every player makes the same salary regardless of position, skill level or experience.
The uniform contracts are non-guaranteed and pay $70,000 for the first year, $80,000 for the second and $100,000 the third. Opportunities for bonus pay are available.
He was slated to make $202,000 with the Alouettes in 2019.
No stranger to controversy
No one could question Manziel’s talent as a college player.
But he’s also well known for having plenty of issues off the field, dating to his time with the Aggies.
In June 2012, before he ever took a snap at Texas A&M, Manziel was arrested and pleaded guilty to failure to produce identification. Other charges of disorderly conduct and possession of a fictitious driver’s license were dropped.
On Feb. 4, 2015, Manziel entered a treatment program for unspecified reasons. Later that year, he was pulled over after police spotted him fighting with his then-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley. No charges were filed.
A year later, Dallas police opened a criminal investigation after domestic violence claims stemming from a January 2016 incident between Manziel and Crowley. He subsequently was released by the Browns, terminated as a client by his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and stripped of his Nike sponsorship.
Manziel, who redshirted in 2011 at Texas A&M, quickly became a legend.
He broke out against Arkansas, putting up 557 yards of total offense, breaking a 43-year-old SEC record previously held by Ole Miss great Archie Manning.
Manziel went on to become the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, the first freshman to win the Davey O’brien Award and the first freshman to win the Manning Award.
He also became the first SEC quarterback with at least 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in the same season, was a consensus first-team Allamerican in 2012 and is still the only quarterback with at least four games of 300-plus passing yards and 100-plus rushing yards.
Express quarterbacks
Manziel joins a group that probably will include Brandon Silvers and Christian Hackenberg.
Zach Mettenberger, who started the past three games for Memphis, left last week’s game with an injured left ankle and did not return.
Since the Express added a quarterback (Manziel), the team must either release a quarterback or place one on injured reserve, per AAF rules. Memphis has not yet made a corresponding announcement since Manziel’s signing.
Hackenberg started the first three games but performed poorly enough that he was pulled midway through the team’s Week 3 loss at Orlando and has not played since then.
Silvers replaced the injured Mettenberger last week and finished with 242 yards and one touchdown.