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In case you hadn’t heard, former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was suspended 4 games for substance abuse. Who ever could have seen that coming, right? The chances of him being on an NFL roster in 2016 were slim-to-none, and the suspension most certainly would seem to put his odds at 0%.
The suspension could still impact the Browns, though, when it comes to trying to recover guaranteed money.
Browns are likely secretly happy about the Manziel suspension, since it likely will void the remaining guaranteed money in his contract.
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 30, 2016
Specifically, we’re talking about $2.173 million in guaranteed money that came with Manziel’s original rookie contract. For a guy who has been spending money at clubs, getaways, and substances as if he has a never-ending cash flow, you’d have to wonder how that might put a big dent in his financial situation.
The only complication I could see is the fact that the Browns have already released Manziel, so this is somewhat of an unprecedented case for me. Can Cleveland still recover money from a player they already parted ways with? I would think so, but it’s a storyline that will continue to keep Manziel tied to Cleveland for now.