In the wake of a Tuesday report that the Cleveland Browns are planning to cut ties with quarterback Johnny Manziel in March and a statement from Sashi Brown, the Browns' new director of football operations, indicating that Manziel's "continual involvement" in off-the-field incidents "undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation" of the Cleveland organization, ESPN's Ed Werder revealed that Manziel is telling those close to him that the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Rams and Kansas City Chiefs are all interested in him.
Only that may not be the case.
While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones it known to be enamored with the former Texas A&M standout and first-round pick, it sounds like Manziel's continuous transgressions may have changed the elder Dallas decision-maker's mind.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com indicated in the wake of Brown's statement and the report of Manziel's looming ousting that neither the Cowboys nor the Houston Texans, another team located in Manziel's home state with a potential need at quarterback, are unlikely to pursue Johnny Football.
"I'm not sure either of those [Texas] teams is actually interested in Manziel, mainly because of his off-the-field behavior," Rapoport said. "If he cleans it up, I think they could be. But at this point, I would not expect interest from either of those teams for Manziel in his current state."
In fact, Rapoport even suggested that Manziel's image may be "so damaged in league circles," that his very NFL future could be in the balance.
With Tony Romo aging rapidly and the Texans having reached the postseason in 2015 thanks mostly to the awful state of the AFC South and the strength of their defense, both teams make sense on paper as a potential landing spot for Manziel.
And in Kansas City, head coach Andy Reid has shown in the past a propensity to offer second chances to talented players with checkered pasts. And the Rams, well - Jeff Fisher is probably willing to try just about anything to get a legitimate starting quarterback under center. And team owner Stan Kroenke would surely love to make a big splash for his franchise's first year in L.A.
But Werder indicated that the Rams "had" interest during Manziel's draft year, while the Chiefs have "none."
If the Cowboys and Texans aren't interested either, that leaves little in the way of an obvious future for a player once viewed as the next great NFL quarterback.
