It sure sounds like Johnny Manziel won’t just be handed the starting quarterback job with the Montreal Alouettes in 2019.

Johnny Football wrapped up his first season in the CFL at the end of 2018. There were some ups and some downs, but he did show some great flashes along the way. However, that still won’t be enough to guarantee he enters training camp as the locked-in starting quarterback. There will be a competition.

“That’s the way we want it … You want to make certain that when you’re trying to establish a franchise quarterback that no one is given it. It is earned and it’s a process,” Alouettes general manager Kavis Reed told the media Friday, according to the Montreal Gazette.

These comments aren’t surprising, but I wouldn’t take them too seriously either. General managers generally don’t like guaranteeing people starting jobs on a loaded depth chart, but Manziel isn’t in the CFL to sit on the bench. (RELATED: Watch Johnny Manziel‘s Complete Highlights From His First Season Back In Pro Football)

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Alouettes de Montréal (@mtlalouettes) on Jan 18, 2019 at 5:04pm PST

The CFL wants and needs Manziel on the field. It brings tons of exposure to the league from south of the Canadian border.

Plus, the Texas A&M Heisman winner is simply better than the other options Montreal’s roster right now. I watched a solid amount of CFL action this past year just to see how Manziel would fit in, and it’s clear to me he’s their best option.

View this post on Instagram Stay tuned… A post shared by Johnny Manziel (@jmanziel2) on Jul 29, 2018 at 4:32pm PDT

Trust me, he’ll be under center when week one of the 2019 CFL season begins. It would take something disastrous to happen in order for that not to be the case.

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