Monday, March 18, 2019 at 04:04PM

By Barry Janoff

March 18, 2019: After burning out in the NFL and CFL, Johnny Manziel is hoping the third time is the charm and is now seeking redemption in the Alliance of American Football.



The first-year organization said over the weekend that Manziel has signed with the Memphis Express, led by head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Mike Singletary, after his territorial rights were waived by the San Antonio Commanders.



“We are always looking for the best available players and giving them a path back to the NFL,” Charlie Ebersol, AAF co-founder, said today on ESPN’s Outside the Lines. “We signed him to a standard player contract.



“We look at players on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “He is a generational player. He has has outstanding moments (on the field).



“We are not trying to fight or buck the system. We are trying to be part of it.”



"We have a guy (Manziel) we think can do some great things for us," Kosha Irby, Express president, told The Commercial Appeal.



”We pride ourselves on being a league of opportunity. Whether that's with people trying to ignite or reignite their careers. But we also want to put the best players on the field to help the Express.”



According to Irby, “(Manziel) is a player with plenty of talent. We saw an opportunity and we think it'll be a reciprocal situation."



During a media conference call earlier this month, Bill Polian, co-founder and head of football for the AAF, said the league had some interest in signing Manziel and was doing due diligence.



Over the weekend, Polian said, “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.



“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.”



Manziel, 26, is now with a team in Memphis “where we all believe he’ll benefit from the coaching and mentorship of Mike Singletary,” said Polian.



Manuel was a Heisman Trophy winner in 2012 (as well as being named College Player of the Year by numerous outlets) while at Texas A&M.



He was drafted by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns in 2014 as the 22nd overall pick.



Manziel played eight games for the team over two seasons, passing for 1,675 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.



Personal problems caused a rift between Manziel and the Browns, which released him in March 2016.



He was unclaimed by NFL teams and last May signed a two-year deal with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He was traded to the Montreal Alouettes in July, seeing limited playing time.

"We’ve always described (AAF) as a league of opportunity for talented players to launch or revitalize their pro football careers."



Maiziel was released by the CFL last month. According to a statement, it was because he "contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play in the league."



“We are disappointed by this turn of events," Kavis Reed, Alouettes GM, said at the time via the team. ”Johnny was provided a great deal of support by our organization, in collaboration with the CFL, but he has been unable to abide by the terms of his agreement.

"We worked with the league and presented alternatives to Johnny, who was unwilling to proceed."



Memphis is 1-5. Starting quarterback Zach Mettenberger suffered an ankle injury on the first play of their game against the Salt Lake Stallions and was replaced in a 22-9 loss on Saturday.



Maziel could see action April 6 when the Express visit San Antonio, a game that was added to the CBS Sports schedule last week.



“I’d say in light of our present situation, Johnny Manziel is going to be an option for us like anybody else would be,” Will Lewis, Express GM, said via the team. “Obviously in light of our situation with our present quarterback, an injury related issue, we decided we’d look at all options.”



"It's gonna be a fun," Irby said. "(Manziel) coming to Memphis will create a lot of buzz.”



AAF’s Bill Polian Talks Marketing, Media, Manziel



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