Report: Browns already took care of voiding Manziel’s guaranteed money

After QB Johnny Manziel was served a 4-game suspension at the end of June, we began to speculate as to whether or not this meant the Cleveland Browns could recover the $2.173 million in guaranteed money still owed to him.

Last week, Pro Football Talk reported that it learned the team had already voided that guaranteed money before they cut him:

Per three different sources with knowledge of the situation, the Browns voided Manziel’s remaining guaranteed money before cutting him. No grievance was filed by the NFL Players Association in response to the voided guarantee, apparently because Cleveland’s case for voiding the guarantees was regarded as open and shut.

Two of the reasons Cleveland would’ve been allowed to void the money were “failure or refusal to report, practice, or play” and “leaving the team without prior written consent.” It’s possible that Manziel’s disappearance in the final week of the season gave the team the power to invoke their right without much of a fight.