Johnny Manziel says his formal football career ‘in my eyes is over,’ will play second FCF season, per report

Since 2016, many fans have been calling for Johnny Manziel’s return to the NFL. The No. 22 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft played just 14 games for the Cleveland Browns before the organization cut ties with him following multiple off-field incidents. Manziel has spent time in the Canadian Football League, AAF and the Fan Controlled Football League, but is no longer chasing the NFL dream.

Recently, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner told ESPN that he would be participating in FCF for its second season, but that his formal football career “in my eyes is over.”

“This is a way to go out and compete and have fun on a way smaller scale,” Manziel told ESPN. “I don’t have the drive to play football at a high level anymore. I don’t have a drive to be the best football player anymore that I used to have in my life, and I’m OK with that. I’ve come to terms with what my football career was, and what it is, and now I’m trying to figure out how I can stay entangled in the game, but from a different position.

“[FCF] is not trying to build this on my back and make me be the main focus point. I feel like I’m simply there to help bring a little bit of magic and a little bit of entertainment, but on a way different scale than the past.”

Manziel was one of the most entertaining college football players of all time. From his miraculous escapes in the pocket, to his running ability, to his patience as a passer, “Johnny Football” looked like someone who could take the NFL by storm. Unfortunately, he had several off-field issues, including substance abuse problems, that derailed his career. Overall, Manziel threw for just 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in the NFL.

“I had an ample amount of opportunities to put my career on a different path, and for whatever reason it was, whether it was me being young or just not seeing life through the right lens at that point in time, I squandered a good opportunity,” Manziel said. “The more I look back on my life and continue to reflect and try to bury some things and put some things in the past, that’s one thing that I decided to do, was to let [football] go and let that be what it is. Life goes the way it goes sometimes.”

Now, Manziel is just playing football for fun — which is what the FCF is about. It’s a 7-on-7 league that is controlled by fans, and will feature eight teams in 2022.