Former Heisman Trophy winner and Cleveland Browns first-round pick Johnny Manziel had a compelling response about a potential return to football.
Johnny Manziel hasn’t played an NFL snap since the 2015 season. His well-documented partying lifestyle and off-the-field issues became too much for the Browns, who released “Johnny Football” after two seasons.
In 2018, Manziel detailed his mental health struggles and issues with alcohol. He attempted a football comeback with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, but to no avail.
Manziel was subsequently banned by the league for missing mandatory meetings. He signed with the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), but the season shut down before completing its inaugural 2019 season.
During an appearance on Logan Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast, Johnny Manziel was asked if it’s “too late” to attempt an NFL comeback. Manziel explained that he started training again and is only interested in returning to the NFL, though he admits it’s unlikely.
“I asked myself this question last year (if he could return to the NFL)…got myself into a mindset of like, ‘Okay, I’m going to go start working out again, throwing the football around, see if I can still get myself in shape…’
I remember calling my agent, being like, ‘I think I’m gonna try and make a comeback.’ He’s like, ‘Okay, we’ll start talking with some guys, UFL, XFL.’ And I’m just sitting there thinking like, ‘There’s no way I’m going back to (expletive) play in one of these early leagues…UFL…XFL..anything like that.”
Manziel expressed frustration with trying to return to the NFL by playing in other football leagues.
“As much as I would like to think that that’s something I can do, I think at 32, my chances are probably pretty chopped,” Manziel said.
Johnny Manziel teases NFL return 👀 pic.twitter.com/LAw5mkStQ5
— IMPAULSIVE (@impaulsive) July 15, 2025
Indeed, the odds of Johnny Manziel getting another chance on the wrong side of 30 are awfully slim. It’s not like he was a great NFL quarterback at one point of his career, either, so there’s little reason for NFL teams to give him another shot.
🚨BREAKING: Texas A&M legendary quarterback Johnny Manziel has been training for an #NFL comeback, he said recently.
Johnny Football says he is not interested in playing for a fake league, only the NFL.
Manziel is 32 years old and was a 1st round pick by the #Browns in 2014. pic.twitter.com/H5psH4suAl
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) July 16, 2025
Johnny Manziel Is A Giant Case Of “What If?”
Manziel was among the most electrifying and entertaining quarterbacks ever seen in the NCAA. It’s truly unfortunate that his off-the-field issues wasted a potentially marvelous NFL career, but one can also wonder how different things could have been if he landed on a non-dysfunctional organization.
