Johnny Manziel's agent says QB looking for 'fair deal' with CFL's Tiger-Cats
Johnny Manziel's agent released a lengthy statement Monday night in which he said Manziel will negotiate exclusively with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Footballl League until Jan. 31 in hopes of reaching a "fair deal."
In a statement released to multiple media organizations, Erik Burkhardt confirmed that the Tiger-Cats have sent Manziel a "place-holder contract" in order to retain his rights, as the team announced Sunday. He said the former Cleveland Browns quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner has decided to "deal exclusively with Hamilton" the rest of this month, while also noting that Hamilton has given him permission to discuss possible trades with "at least one other club."
"So that there will not be any ambiguity in regards to financial expectations, and so the public understands how seriously Johnny is considering this move, I will tell you that we believe 'fair deal' means on par with what Hamilton has paid their QB in recent years, despite not having much on-field success," Burkhardt wrote in the statement. "If we cannot reach a deal with Hamilton by this date, we will turn our focus to several other professional options readily available to us."
Manziel added his own thoughts on Twitter, writing in part that "one way or another I am getting back on a football field this year. Believe that."
The 25-year-old Manziel has not appeared in a professional football game since Dec. 27, 2015. The CFL has long appeared to be the most likely landing spot for the former Texas A&M star after his NFL career fizzled, and CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie announced last month that Manziel would be permitted to join the league following a lengthy vetting process.
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The Tiger-Cats, who are coached by former NFL and college head coach June Jones, have held Manziel's CFL rights since his freshman season at Texas A&M, according to Burkhardt.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.
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