Johnny Manziel Says Bre Tiesi Divorce Changed His Life, 'Helped Me Grow'

Johnny Manziel is being as transparent as ever ... saying his relationship -- and divorce -- with Bre Tiesi helped him come to terms with the man he is today.

The former Heisman winner joined the "Ya Neva Know: You Know What I Mean?" podcast with Mike. (which aired Tuesday) ... and faced his past successes and struggles head-on in a truly candid setting.

When the topic of soulmates came up, Manziel detailed the impact his ex-wife had on his life ... and how she helped him find happiness after hitting a rough patch.

"I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for my relationship and getting married," Manziel said. "I wouldn't have the same attitude towards everything else if I wouldn't have gone through the divorce and stuff, too, if I wouldn't have gone through that with Bre. 100% there's no chance."

"And, I wouldn't be here probably today, sitting where I'm at, if it wasn't for her as well."

Of course, Manziel and Tiesi were married for one year -- the QB proposed in 2017 after going official in 2016. Tiesi later filed for divorce in 2019.

Johnny -- who credits Tiesi with saving his life -- says he has no regrets over the relationship .. saying, "She helped me grow to where I needed to be and it got to a point where I'm cool, finally, for the first time, picking myself up, looking in the mirror and being cool with me for the first time in a long, long time and that's where a lot of the mental stuff comes from."

"'Cause I can finally look myself in the mirror and go, 'What's good? You still look like a f**king idiot.' I'm still gonna do me, bro. I'm still me, bro."

Manziel also addressed his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns ... admitting he regrets wasting 2 years of future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas' career ... and praising fellow QB Josh McCown for being the ultimate pro.