We still don’t know if Johnny Manziel will ever play in the Canadian Football League, but the team that owns his rights is making it possible.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats made a trade today that TSN reports would clear salary cap space for the Tiger-Cats to pay Manziel more than just the league minimum. Manziel wouldn’t make anywhere near as much in Canada as he was making when he played for the Browns, but the Tiger-Cats are apparently willing to pay him more than any old scrub trying to make the roster.
Manziel has seemed hesitant to play in the CFL in large part because that league requires players to sign two-year contracts. So if Manziel agreed to play for the Tiger-Cats, he’d be out of the NFL for 2018 and 2019. He wants to return to the NFL sooner than that.
CFL training camps open in two weeks, so Manziel may not have much more time to make up his mind. Assuming no NFL team is going to offer him a shot in training camp, Manziel’s next-best option would be to get himself into top shape to play for the Alliance of American Football, which starts play in early 2019. That league would allow Manziel to sign on for one season and be available for NFL training camps in 2019.
Manziel’s last NFL game was in 2015. He recently played minor league ball with the Spring League.