x
Breaking News
More () »

Former Browns first-round picks Trent Richardson, Johnny Manziel could share field in AAF game Sunday

Former Cleveland Browns first-round picks Trent Richardson and Johnny Manziel could compete against each other in the Alliance of American Football Sunday night.
Credit: AP
Former Cleveland Browns first-round picks Trent Richardson and Johnny Manziel could compete against each other in the Alliance of American Football Sunday night.

CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Browns first-round picks Trent Richardson and Johnny Manziel could share the field in an AAF game when the Birmingham Iron travel to play the Memphis Express in a Sunday night game on NFL Network.

Richardson plays for Birmingham, and after being banished from the Canadian Football League, Manziel signed with the Express once the San Antonio Commanders relinquished their rights to the Texas native and former Heisman Trophy winner.

Currently, Richardson leads the AAF (Alliance of American Football) with nine rushing touchdowns, nearly double that of the next most-productive running back in the league. Richardson has rushed for 227 yards on 91 carries, an average of 2.5 yards per attempt.

Credit: David Richard
Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson (33) carries the ball against Detroit Lions cornerback Chris Houston (23) in the first quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland on August 15, 2013.

Memphis signed Manziel after going through three quarterbacks during the first six weeks of the season.

“Going back to what he ran at Texas A&M and comparing that to the concepts we run here, there’s a good amount of familiarity, which leads you to believe you can put together a package or two for him where he’d be comfortable,” Memphis GM Will Lewis said, via the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

The Montreal Alouettes released Manziel February 27 based on a directive from CFL officials after they found that he violated the agreement, which made him ineligible to play north of the border.

Additionally, league officials told all nine of clubs that the CFL will not honor a contract should any team attempt to sign Manziel to a new deal.

Credit: Bob Leverone
Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been released by the Montreal Alouettes and has been barred from signing with another CFL team.

Montreal traded for Manziel on Sunday, July 22, 2018 along with offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice, and in exchange, sent the Hamilton Tiger-Cats its first-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 CFL drafts, as well as defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman and wide receiver Chris Williams.

In eight starts for Montreal, Manziel completed 106 of his 165 attempts for 1,290 yards and five touchdowns against seven interceptions.

Manziel missed four games, including back-to-back wins over the Toronto Argonauts and a return matchup against the Ottawa RedBlacks because he was in CFL Concussion Protocol.

A first-round pick of the Browns in the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel had a dramatic and tumultuous tenure in Cleveland, one filled with off-the-field partying that was well documented on social media, as well as domestic issues that resulted in legal troubles.

In 14 games over two years with the Browns, Manziel completed 147 of his 258 throws for 1,675 yards and seven touchdowns against five interceptions, and not only missed a Sunday morning appointment as part of the NFL Concussion Protocol, but also, exercised an option to skip the 28-12 season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium on January 3, 2016.

Credit: Ed Zurga
Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel (2) throws during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday, December 27, 2015.

Following his release from the Browns in March of 2016, Manziel spent the better part of nine months dealing with domestic violence charges, which required him to meet certain requirements, including anger management education and entering the NFL’s substance-abuse program.

Additionally, before signing a contract with the Tiger-Cats, Manziel had to meet personally with CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie, who had concerns about the off-the-field issues that persisted in Cleveland.

Richardson rushed for 1,055 yards over 17 games in two years with Cleveland, as well as a Browns rookie single-season record 11 touchdowns during the 2012 season.

Before You Leave, Check This Out