While the XFL hasn’t come calling for Johnny Manziel, June Jones, who coached Manziel with the CFL’s Tiger-Cats before being tasked to lead the XFL’s Houston franchise, believes it’s possible he may see his former quarterback in the not-so-distant future.
“I had Johnny in Hamilton,” Jones said, according to CBS Sports. “I enjoyed the five or six weeks [with him]. … He played very good for me, actually. Johnny is an interesting guy. He’s competitive. He’s proven that he has won. He’s just been through a lot in the last three or four years. That’s kind of a league decision there, but definitely, I assume that he’ll be in the draft pool. I assume that.”
Manziel, 26, who now goes by John, agreed to a two-year contract with the Tiger-Cats in May 2018, but barely got on the field and was later traded to the Montreal Alouettes before being curiously banished from the league altogether in February.
Earlier this spring, Manziel joined the Memphis Express in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football League, around the time his marriage to model Bre Tiesi imploded.
“Just keep grinding… no matter the odds,” Manziel captioned a recent workout post on Instagram.
As for a potential landing spot in the XFL, it remains uncertain given founder Vince McMahon said in January 2018 that players with criminal records would not be allowed to play in the league. Manziel was charged with assaulting his ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley in 2016, but reached a plea deal to dismiss the charges.
Commissioner Oliver Luck said if the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback meets a few qualifications, he could have a shot.
“As long as he fits our profile and our behavioral standards and our 8 HCs think he he is a guy that makes us better … if Manziel is in that group, I’m sure he’d have an opportunity. We have had no contact with him,” Luck said in April.