Johnny Manziel has become more open about his polarizing and controversial football career lately. But he shared a new stunning story on Friday about how he could’ve been the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback before Patrick Mahomes entered the picture.
Johnny Manziel Details Meeting With Chiefs
In an appearance on “The Rush Podcast” hosted by Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, Manziel revealed how he came close to becoming a Chief.
The kicker is, by Manziel’s words, his meeting with the Chiefs’ brass came during a time Mahomes first entered the league.
“I thought I was going to sign in Kansas City,” Manziel said. “The same year Mahomes got drafted.”
That was 2017, when K.C. selected Mahomes at No. 10 overall. Manziel was seeking an NFL home following his much-publicized departure from the Cleveland Browns, who he only played two seasons for.
“So I think if they wouldn’t have taken a quarterback, which thank God they did, I think I could’ve ended up there,” Manziel said.
Manziel Dives Into Conversation He Shared With Andy Reid
Manziel, during that period, was seeking any kind of football salvation in a career plagued by inconsistency and off-the-field issues such as excessive partying and a domestic violence investigation.
He described the conversation he had with Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, which nearly led to his NFL return.
“Andy Reid has a really good long history of being able to help people,” Manziel said. “And he saw something in me as well. So I took a couple of meetings there and flew up to Kansas City and kicked the tires on it.”
It’s true Reid has worked with strong-but-troubled personalities in his career as head coach. He helped give Michael Vick a second chance in the NFL following his prison sentence for running a dog fighting ring during Reid’s tenure as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Reid has also worked with other polarizing talents like Terrell Owens, Tyreek Hill, and most recently, Kadarius Toney, in either Philly and K.C. — eventually coaching in Super Bowls with those players on his roster.
Turns out that according to Manziel, he was in a position to possibly work with Reid before the team opted to draft Mahomes.
“And it ended up not working out,” Manziel then described.
Had the Chiefs finalized a deal for Manziel, perhaps Reid and the Chiefs would’ve slotted him ahead of a rookie Mahomes as the latter acclimated to the pro game. Yet, the Chiefs also still had Alex Smith as the QB1 for the ’17 season before eventually handing the keys to the offense over to the future three-time Super Bowl winner.
Manziel, though, doesn’t carry any animosity about his missed opportunity in Kansas City.
“I think I had two really good opportunities and situations, and it just wasn’t meant to be,” Manziel said.
However, even he thought he was on his way back to an NFL roster.
“I really thought I was going to get back,” Manziel said.
KEEP READING: Patrick Mahomes Crowns Andy Reid as the Best Coach of All-Time
Miss football? The 2024 NFL Draft is almost here, boss. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!
