Johnny Manziel says he considered NFL comeback attempt nearly 10 years after last snap with Browns

Former Cleveland Browns quarterback and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel has played in various professional football leagues since his memorable NFL flameout in 2016, but never has he received an opportunity at a re-do of sorts at the game's highest level.

Battling through a bipolar disorder, substance abuse and an unwillingness to follow franchise rules set for him, the Browns released Manziel ahead of his third NFL season, and his career never recovered.

Manziel recently considered a comeback, a decade after his last in-game appearance with the Browns in 2015.

"I asked myself this question last year," Manziel said this week on Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast. "Got myself into a mindset of like, 'OK, I'm going to go start working out again, throwing the football around, see if I can still get myself in shape.'"

After making appearances in several pro leagues since — including the CFL and AAF — Manziel was only interested this time around in returning to the pinnacle of football.

"I remember calling my agent, being like, 'I think I'm gonna try and make a comeback.' He's like, 'OK, we'll start talking with some guys, UFL, XFL,'" Manziel said. "And I'm just sitting there thinking like, 'There's no way I'm going back to f***ing play in one of these early leagues ... UFL ... XFL ... Anything like that.'"

Manziel told Paul he "hated Cleveland," and leaving College Station and his native Texas was a culture shock of sorts at the next level. At the time, Manziel was more interested in partying than improving as a football player and understanding the responsibilities of being a professional athlete.

Manziel has previously acknowledged he wasn't interested in watching film or game plan prep and felt "empty" with the Browns.

Manziel went 2-6 as the starter in his NFL career and completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions to go along with 259 rushing yards and another score. That wasn't what anyone expected from college football's best player over his previous couple years at Texas A&M as a difference-maker in the SEC.

"I would sit in my condo in Cleveland downtown and just feel like it was the only place that I could get away from everybody and anything," Manziel said during Netflix's "Untold" series detailing his tumultuous career in 2023. "And I would look out those windows every day and I just felt empty. I went from one fishbowl city to another, and I wanted nothing to do with football. I wanted nothing to do with stepping on that field. And I had bigger issues in my life than being able to go out and play free-spirited, flowing football." 

Manziel told Paul this week he hasn't given up on a comeback, but understands that's likely out of the cards.

"As much as I would like to think that that's something I can do, I think at 32, my chances are probably pretty chopped," Manziel said.