HEADLINES

Saints Interested In Johnny Manziel?

March 23rd, 2017 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

Drew Brees isn’t getting any younger and the Saints have to start thinking about who his successor might be. As the Saints explore backup QBs (and potential heirs), an unlikely name has popped up. Saints coach Sean Payton appears to have taken an interest in Johnny Manziel, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Payton and Manziel were spotted together having breakfast during Super Bowl week, he adds, and they discussed a return to football. There are no indications that the Saints are planning to sign him at this time, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes, but things can change.

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As Rapoport notes, the Saints could still take on another backup for Brees in 2017. As of this writing, Luke McCown is the only other QB on the roster, but I can’t imagine that a Manziel signing would displace him. McCown knows the playbook and would give New Orleans a safety net in the event that Manziel’s demons reemerge.

In early March, there was word that Manziel was drawing “real” NFL interest. Manziel says he is sober and focusing on his comeback and he’s reportedly willing to volunteer himself for drug testing. Of course, if he gets signed, the NFL will force Manziel to take frequent drug tests anyway. He’ll also likely have to serve a suspension before taking the field.

Manziel’s off-field behavior cost him his roster spot in Cleveland, but he didn’t do that much on the field either. The now 24-year-old made eight starts and played in 15 total games for Cleveland, completing 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards with seven touchdowns against seven interceptions. His overall passer rating was 74.4.

Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

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