Johnny Manziel

It's been one heck of a week for the Alliance of American Football. With four weeks left in the regular season, the playoff race is still open. The league announced that it is moving its championship game to the Dallas Cowboys' facility, known as The Star.

Oh, and former first-round NFL pick Johnny Manziel just signed on and will play for the Memphis Express.

"In my eyes and in my mind, I'm here for a reason," Manziel said, per Jason Munz of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

For Manziel, that reason is the continuation of his football career. For the Alliance, it's about adding a household name and increasing the number of eyeballs on the startup league. There are plenty of intriguing storylines to follow heading into the seventh week of the inaugural AAF season. Let's take a look at the current standings, schedule and odds.

       

AAF Standings

Eastern Conference

Orlando Apollos: 5-1

Birmingham Iron: 4-2

Atlanta Legends: 2-4

Memphis Express: 1-5

Western Conference

San Antonio Commanders: 4-2

San Diego Fleet: 3-3

Arizona Hotshots: 3-3

Salt Lake Stallions: 2-4

       

AAF Week 7 Schedule

Saturday, March 23: Orlando at Atlanta, 2 p.m. ET (TNT)

Saturday, March 23: Salt Lake at San Antonio, 8 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

Sunday, March 24: San Diego at Arizona, 4 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)

Sunday, March 24: Birmingham at Memphis, 8 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

All games can be streamed at aaf-live.com.

      

Game of the Week

San Diego at Arizona

This is an important game for both of these Western Conference rivals. Both sit at 3-3 and are in the playoff mix, but the loser will be left needing to make up ground over the final three weeks.

Last week, the Arizona Hotshots ended a three-game skid by knocking off the league's last unbeaten team, the Orlando Apollos. The Hotshots now have a chance to go on a hot streak (pun intended), especially with running back Jhurell Pressley grinding and quarterback John Wolford thriving.

Pressley leads the AAF with 343 yards rushing, while Wolford leads the league with 11 touchdown passes.

The San Diego Fleet, meanwhile, are looking to bounce back after a close loss to the Birmingham Iron in Week 6. Their offense has been a bit more up-and-down this season. However, it has appeared formidable the last couple of weeks with quarterback Mike Bercovici, who regained the job after Philip Nelson suffered a fractured clavicle in Week 4.

This game, by the way, marks a homecoming of sorts for Bercovici, who played his college ball for Arizona State—the Hotshots play their home games at Sun Devil Stadium.

"The last time I played there we played the team down south [Arizona], I think we hung 50 points on them [52], and I figured that would be the last time I would ever play on that field," Bercovici said, per Jeff Goldberg of AAF.com. "It's pretty sentimental, actually."

A meaningful football game that features league stars, high stakes and player-driven storylines on a Sunday afternoon? Yes, please! This is exactly the kind of game the AAF hoped to give casual football fans when the league was first established.

       

AAF Championship Odds

Here are the updated championship odds from Oddschecker.com:

Orlando Apollos: 13-10

Arizona Hotshots: 4-1

Birmingham Iron: 9-2

San Antonio Commanders: 11-2

San Diego Fleet: 8-1

Salt Lake Stallions: 22-1

Atlanta Legends: 59-1

Memphis Express: 150-1  

Johnny Manziel is no longer in the NFL, but that apparently hasn't dented his confidence.

"My confidence level is high," Manziel said Tuesday, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "I believe I still have a unique skill set and still have the ability to play at any level anywhere."

The comments came after he signed with the Alliance of American Football's Memphis Express. The Associated Press report explained his initial AAF rights belonged to the San Antonio Commanders, but he went to the Express through waivers when the former elected not to sign him.

Manziel became a household name at Texas A&M when he won a Heisman Trophy and SEC Offensive Player of the Year. He put on a show in almost every collegiate game with his ability to hit receivers downfield and create plays with his legs.

It was enough to convince the Cleveland Browns to select him with the No. 22 pick in the 2014 NFL draft, but he never lived up to the hype and finished with seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

Off the field, charges were dropped in a domestic violence case that was opened against him in 2016. The charges were dropped after he agreed to complete an anger management course.

The Associated Press noted the Canadian Football League terminated his Montreal Alouettes contract earlier this year after commissioner Randy Ambrosie said he "had violated one of the conditions we had set for him to be in our league."

He was just 2-6 as a CFL starter with five touchdown passes and seven interceptions.

The missteps along the way have led him to the AAF, where he joins a 1-5 Memphis team that already benched Christian Hackenberg at quarterback. Manziel still believes he can be effective on the field and may get a chance with the Express.

Johnny Manziel is officially part of Memphis Express after practicing with the Alliance of American Football team Monday.

#️⃣2️⃣ in the building.

✈️ | #AllAboard pic.twitter.com/cFwIZe7WAI

— Memphis Express (@aafexpress) March 18, 2019

Manziel signed with Memphis on Saturday after he was claimed by the 1-5 team on waivers. This came just a couple of weeks after being removed from the Canadian Football League for violating his contract.

While his ultimate goal is likely to return to the NFL, the AAF provides the former Heisman Trophy winner with a chance to play professional football in the United States for the first time since 2015 with the Cleveland Browns.

Additionally, there is an opportunity for immediate playing time after starter Zach Mettenberger suffered an ankle injury in Saturday's game.

Brandon Silvers replaced Mettenberger on the field and former New York Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberger is also on the roster. However, the team could use this opportunity to see what type of contributions Manziel can provide.

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel signed a standard player agreement with the Alliance of American Football on Saturday and was assigned to the Memphis Express, the league announced.

Welcome to The Alliance, @JManziel2. pic.twitter.com/CO1z4eiDLb

— The Alliance (@TheAAF) March 17, 2019

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news, while Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported Manziel was assigned to the Express after the San Antonio Commanders waived his rights.

"We are pleased to welcome Johnny Manziel to the Alliance of American Football, which we've always described as a league of opportunity for talented players to launch or revitalize their pro football careers," AAF co-founder Bill Polian said in a statement. "We completed extensive background work to determine whether it would be appropriate for Johnny to play this season, and after consulting with many people familiar with his situation, we concluded that it would be good for him to resume his pro football career here at The Alliance."

This comes after the former Heisman Trophy winner was released from his contract with the Canadian Football League, with CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie announcing the league would not allow any of its teams to sign the free agent as the result of him violating undisclosed terms of his contract:

"We advised Montreal that Johnny had violated one of the conditions we had set for him to be in our league. And Montreal announced his release today. We didn't release the terms of those conditions then and we're not going to do that now.

"We're trying to do what we believe is in the best interests of the entire league. The conditions we set, we thought were the right ones. Those conditions have been violated and we feel it's best, and Montreal feels it's best, to let Johnny move on. And we think it's best for our league that he do the same. And we wish him well."

Following his release, the 26-year-old took to Twitter to announce he would look to continue his football career in the United States:

I want to thank Coach Sherman, my teammates, and the CFL fans. My time there reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it. I look forward to exploring new options within the United States.

— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 27, 2019

That has led him to the AAF.

AAF chairman Tom Dundon told USA Today's Kevin Allen and Tom Schad in late February that Manziel had been offered a workout for the league.

"Right now, it's a decision of the GMs, and they can decide what they want to do," Dundon explained. "If talent-wise this is close, the negative of him is that there is drama with him and you are trying to win games and build a team. The positive is that he brings in fans and attention."

That came after co-founder Charlie Ebersol let it be known the league would investigate Manziel's ban from the CFL and determine if he was "clean and clear" by its own standards.

The 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, Manziel spent two years in Cleveland. He went 2-6 as the Browns' starting quarterback, completing just 57 percent of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in 15 appearances.

His actions off the field plagued him, though, resulting in him being out of the league within two years of being drafted.

Manziel made his way to Canada, where he signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2018. However, he was unable to supplant former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli atop the team's depth chart, leading to a trade to the Montreal Alouettes during the 2018 season.

The dual-threat quarterback completed 64.2 percent of his passes for the Alouettes for 1,290 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding 215 rushing yards on 7.4 yards per carry. A concussion sidelined him during his time in Montreal.

He would also participate in the Spring League in 2018.

Manziel becomes the biggest name in the AAF, although not due to a lack of effort on behalf of the league. The AAF reportedly pursued former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick and former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow but was unsuccessful.

Manziel's return will provide the AAF with star power as it continues its rise as a premier developmental league and give the Express a compelling new option under center following failed experiments with Christian Hackenberg and Zach Mettenberger.

The Alliance of American Football has reached out to the camp of 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel.

Bill Polian, former Indianapolis Colts general manager and a co-founder of the AAF, provided an update Wednesday, per CBSSports.com's Ben Kercheval:

"We had feelers out to people close to him. We're in the process of going through due diligence. I would say it's 50 percent done. We don't intend to comment on anything on Johnny personally for reasons that are legally obvious."

Manziel most recently played for the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL. The Alouettes announced Feb. 27 they had released Manziel because he "contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play in the league."

Montreal added that another CFL team would be unable to sign Manziel since the league wouldn't formally recognize any contract.

In eight games for the Alouettes, Manziel threw for 1,290 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 215 yards on 29 carries.

Considering he hasn't appeared in an NFL regular-season game since the 2015 season, a return is a bridge too far as he ponders the next step in his football career.

As a result, the AAF would be a logical landing spot. The league is clearly trying to draw attention in its inaugural year. According to The Athletic's Lindsay Jones, Polian spoke with Tim Tebow to gauge his interest, while AAF CEO Charlie Ebersol did the same with Colin Kaepernick.

If negotiations between Manziel and the AAF fall apart, the former Texas A&M star would have one last option to exhaust. The XFL is set to launch Feb. 8, 2020.

Bre Tiesi-Manziel, wife of Johnny Manziel, is the subject of controversy after participating in a half-marathon in California on Feb. 16.  

In the official results for the Divas Half-Marathon, Tiesi-Manziel finished the 13.1-mile run in 1:59.22. An investigation into Tiesi-Manziel's mile splits, though, turned up some suspicious results. 

Per LetsRun.com (h/t Yahoo Sports' Cassandra Negley), Tiesi-Manziel was running at a 14:15 minutes per mile pace through 6.4 miles and a 9:03 minute-per-mile pace overall after crossing the finish line. 

The problem is her 11-mile split information can't be found, and she would've had to run the second half of the race (6.55 miles) in 26 minutes, 53 seconds to record her final time. 

Per Deadspin's Patrick Redford, there was an area on the course where Tiesi-Manziel and her running partner, Khloe Terae, could have cut off a road to knock five miles off their run. 

Per USA Today's Andrew Joseph, Tiesi-Manziel posted in a since-deleted Instagram story a picture of mile-marker 11 and said accusations of her cheating were "sad and pathetic." However, Redford reported that a change to the original race course would have allowed Tiesi-Manziel to pass the 11-mile marker without actually having run 11 miles.

Negley noted Tiesi-Manziel's pace for the final 6.7 miles of the race would have been four minutes per mile. The women's world record for fastest mile run is 4:12.56 set by Svetlana Masterkova, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Masterkova has two Olympic gold medals after winning the women's 800-meter and 1,500-meter races in 1996. 

This is turning out to be a rough week for the Manziel family. Johnny is currently looking for work following his release by the CFL's Montreal Alouettes after it was determined he failed to meet the terms of his contract. 

Johnny Manziel could continue his professional football career with the Alliance of American Football if he has maintained a clean track record off the field after playing for the CFL in 2018.

AAF co-founder Charlie Ebersol explained the league is looking into what led to Manziel being released by the Montreal Alouettes Wednesday before making any determination, per the Associated Press:

"We're trying to get to the bottom of what happened in Canada. We want to be a league of opportunity to the best available players, assuming they are available contractually, with a clean bill of health and a clean criminal record. We want them if they can play at our level. We have to have guys who play at a level that every single guy has a shot to get back to the NFL.

"We look at everybody. If he is clean and clear, we will certainly talk to him about coming out for a workout."

Montreal announced Manziel was being released after he "contravened the agreement" that made him eligible to play in the CFL. 

In the same statement, the CFL said it informed every team in the league that it won't register any contract for Manziel, effectively banning him for unspecified reasons. 

After two successful years at Texas A&M, including a Heisman Trophy win in 2012, Manziel's career plummeted. He was out of the NFL two years after being drafted No. 22 overall in 2014 by the Cleveland Browns. 

Two months after being released by the Browns, Manziel was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

After being accused of assault by an ex-girlfriend, Manziel reached a plea agreement in December 2016 to have the charge dismissed. 

Manziel appeared in eight games for the Alouettes during the 2018 season, throwing five touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

One day after being released by the Montreal Alouettes, Johnny Manziel is being pursued for a workout by the Alliance of American Football.

Per USA Today's Kevin Allen and Tom Schad, AAF chairman Tom Dundon said the league has been in contact with Manziel's camp about potentially working out for teams. 

"Right now, it's a decision of the GMs, and they can decide what they want to do," Dundon said. "If talent-wise this is close, the negative of him is that there is drama with him and you are trying to win games and build a team. The positive is that he brings in fans and attention."

The Alouettes announced Wednesday Manziel was being released after "it was found he had contravened the agreement" with the CFL that made him eligible to play. 

After news of Manziel's release broke, the former Heisman Trophy winner tweeted his thanks to the Montreal organization and said he was looking "forward to exploring new options within the United States."

Dundon noted Manziel hasn't indicated he will take a workout with the league, but in the event he is offered a contract from the AAF, it would be the same three-year, $250,000 deal every player in the league receives.

Three weeks into its inaugural season, the AAF has already experienced financial difficulties. The Athletic's David Glenn reported Dundon, who also owns the Carolina Hurricanes, made a $250 million investment in the league to take over as chairman and help make payroll. 

Manziel appeared in eight games for Montreal during the 2018 season. He had five touchdowns, seven interceptions and 1,290 passing yards. 

It was Manziel's first game action since he was released by the Cleveland Browns in March 2016. The 26-year-old was charged with assault against his ex-girlfriend but it was later dismissed in November 2017. 

 

If the Alliance of American Football or XFL is looking for a big-name quarterback, Johnny Manziel is available to play in either league.

Per OddsShark, the AAF is the early odds-on-favorite (-275; bet $275 to win $100) to sign Manziel after he was released by the Canadian Football League on Wednesday.

Odds for what league Johnny Manziel will play in for his next professional football game:

AAF -275
XFL +600
AFL or IFL +600
CIF, NAL or AAL +850
NFL +1200 pic.twitter.com/XexShsQYT7

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) February 27, 2019

The Montreal Alouettes said in a statement (h/t NFL Network's Ian Rapoport) that Manziel was being released after violating the terms of his agreement with the CFL that made him eligible to play.

Given all of the baggage Manziel brings with him, any league that brings him in will have to monitor him carefully.

From purely a business perspective, the AAF could use a household name to help sell tickets. The Athletic's David Glenn reported Feb. 18 that Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon purchased a $250 million stake in the league that allowed it to make payroll two weeks into its inaugural season.

While the XFL hasn't announced any player signings leading up to its relaunch in 2020, quarterback contracts will be worth up to $300,000 annually.

Manziel appeared in eight games for the Alouettes last season. The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner had five touchdowns and seven interceptions. It was his first time playing in a professional football league since 2015 with the Cleveland Browns.

Two years after drafting Manziel with the 22nd overall pick in 2014, the Browns released Manziel in 2016. He threw for 1,500 yards and seven touchdowns in six starts (10 games) during the 2015 season.

Johnny Manziel's career with the Montreal Alouettes came to an abrupt end Wednesday when he was released.

In a statement (h/t NFL Network's Ian Rapoport), the Alouettes said Manziel's contract was terminated after he "contravened the agreement" that made him eligible to play in the CFL.

The statement also noted the CFL won't register a contract for Manziel if any team attempts to sign him.

Manziel posted a message on Twitter thanking the CFL and adding he hopes to continue his playing career:

I want to thank Coach Sherman, my teammates, and the CFL fans. My time there reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it. I look forward to exploring new options within the United States.

— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) February 27, 2019

Before he joined the CFL, Manziel had a meeting with league commissioner Randy Ambrosie in September 2017, when it was determined the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner could sign a contract for the 2018 season if he met "certain conditions." 

Manziel signed a two-year deal with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last May. The franchise traded him to Montreal midway through the 2018 season, and he appeared in eight games. The 26-year-old threw for 1,290 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

Manziel, a first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2014, was involved in numerous off-field incidents during his time in the NFL. He reached a dismissal agreement to "complete an anger management class, attend a domestic violence impact panel and participate in the NFL's substance-abuse program or something similar," per ESPN.com, after his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, accused him of hitting and threatening her. 

Three months after the Browns released Manziel in March 2016, the NFL suspended him four games for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. 

Manziel appeared in 15 contests over two seasons with the Browns. He went 2-6 as a starting quarterback, throwing for 1,675 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.