One of the most intriguing storylines of the CFL offseason has been whether Johnny Manziel will be playing quarterback in Hamilton in 2018.
The former Heisman trophy winner flamed out in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, starting eight games in 2014 and 2015.
His Canadian rights belong to the Tiger-Cats, who on Sunday confirmed they had offered a contract to the 25-year-old Texan.
But negotiations hit a major speedbump Monday when Manziel’s agent, Erik Burkhardt, put out a statement indicating that the team needs to pony up if they want to sign Manziel.
“They sent us a place-holder contract in order to maintain Johnny’s rights and allow us adequate time to negotiate a deal,” Burkhardt said in the statement acquired by NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport. “We believe ‘fair deal’ means on par with what Hamilton has paid their QB in recent years, despite not having much on-field success. If we cannot reach a deal with Hamilton by January 31, we will turn our focus to several other professional options readily available to us.”
This statement caused a major stir on social media, and all of this attention is starting to irritate Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols.
“You can demand all you want. I’d be less worried about trying to get paid like a top-tier starter and more worried about seeing the field,” Nichols told 680 CJOB’s Mackling and Megarry. “He’s going to have to back it up on the field or he’ll be out of the league as quickly as he’s in it.”
“I just want him to get signed or not signed, get it over with, because it’s kind of like spam on my Twitter feed.”
Nichols admitted that he was a big fan of Manziel when he electrified college football at Texas A&M.
But the Bombers pivot pointed to the success down the stretch last season of Ticats QB Jeremiah Masoli, who was rewarded with a two-year extension after the club dealt Zach Collaros to Saskatchewan.
“Masoli has paid his dues, he’s earned that job. I’ve been in the league for eight years now, and anyone that’s trying to use the CFL to come up, play and go back to the NFL, I’ve never seen that work out one time,” Nichols said. “Usually it’s the guys that come up, embrace it, ball out for a couple of years, they can get another shot down there.”
Social media reaction to Johnny Manziel’s agent’s statement
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