Johnny Manziel: The Rise And Fall Of A Football Phenom

What’s Johnny Manziel's Net Worth and Career Earnings?

Let’s talk about Johnny Manziel, the guy who once lit up the football world but whose career ended almost as quickly as it began. Johnny, now retired, has a net worth of about $1 million. Back in the day, he was a big deal—so big, in fact, that he won the Heisman Trophy while at Texas A&M, making history as the first freshman ever to take home that prestigious award. People were buzzing about him entering the 2014 NFL draft. With all the hype, he was expected to go top-three, maybe even first overall. But then, whispers about his personal life began to swirl, and teams started to hesitate. By the time draft day rolled around, Johnny had fallen all the way to the 22nd pick, where the Cleveland Browns scooped him up after a personal phone call from Manziel to their quarterbacks coach.

Unfortunately, Johnny’s time in the NFL wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. Off-field issues, particularly alcohol abuse and partying, overshadowed his on-field potential. The NFL even suspended him for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Despite his talent, Johnny only lasted two seasons in the NFL, both with the Browns. After that, he tried his luck in the Canadian Football League (CFL) with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes, but it didn’t stick. He eventually ended up in smaller leagues.

Here’s the kicker: at one point, experts estimated Johnny could have earned over $100 million in salary and endorsements if he'd had a more traditional NFL career. But instead, he made around $7.7 million in salary and about $10 million from endorsements, mostly from a Nike deal that eventually got canceled. In a 2023 Netflix documentary, Johnny admitted to blowing through $5 million during a wild period in his life. That’s a lot of money to lose in a short amount of time.

Read also:

Exploring Richard Roundtrees Net Worth In 2024 The Journey Of A Legendary Actor

Contracts & Career Earnings

Johnny was once projected to earn over $100 million in salary and endorsements if he had a decent NFL career. But reality didn’t quite match those expectations. Over his entire career, he earned just $7.7 million in salary and roughly $10 million from endorsements, bringing his total pre-tax earnings to $18 million.

His first NFL contract with the Browns was a four-year, $8.25 million deal, which included a $4.3 million signing bonus. That’s a pretty sweet deal for a rookie, right? During his rookie year alone, Johnny raked in $7 million from salary, signing bonuses, and endorsements. But here’s the thing: he didn’t exactly light up the field. In his rookie season, he threw for a measly 175 passing yards, zero passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. By March 11, 2016, the Browns had seen enough and cut him loose after paying him $7,707,913 in salary. That figure turned out to be his total NFL career earnings.

As Johnny revealed in that same Netflix documentary, he went on a $5 million “bender” during his controversial years. And, interestingly, he probably made a high six-figure or low seven-figure fee just for appearing in the documentary. So, there’s that.

Family Wealth

When Johnny first burst onto the scene, rumors swirled that he was from a massive oil fortune. Turns out, most of that was exaggerated. In the Netflix documentary, Johnny admitted he exaggerated his family’s wealth to cover up the fact that he was selling autographs, which was against NCAA rules at the time. But here’s the real deal: there is some oil money in Johnny’s family history.

His great-great-grandfather, Joe Manziel, came to the U.S. from Syria in 1907. Fast forward a few generations, and Johnny’s great-grandfather, Bobby Joe, struck oil in Texas in 1930 after drilling dozens of unsuccessful wells. That successful well turned into several more, providing Bobby Joe with a nice income. He even built “The Oil Palace,” a 7,000-person music venue in Tyler, Texas, originally envisioned as a boxing venue. Unfortunately, construction stalled for nearly 30 years after Bobby Joe’s death in 1956 but was finally completed in 1983.

Now, let’s talk about Johnny’s immediate family. His parents, Paul and Michelle, are pretty normal folks. They were bartenders when Johnny was born, and Paul spent most of his career working as a car salesman, managing a Honda dealership hours away from home. He’d only come home on weekends for many years. Johnny grew up in a modest home in Tyler, Texas, which today is valued at around $700,000. His parents still live there.

Read also:

Nicole Brown Simpson Net Worth 2024 Her Wealth And Financial Legacy

In October 2015, a $400,000 lake house owned by Johnny’s grandfather, Paul Manziel Sr., burned down under mysterious circumstances.

Endorsements

During his brief NFL career, Johnny inked deals with big-name brands like Nike, Nissan, McDonald's, and Panini America. Just before the draft, when he was still projected to be a first-round pick with a long career ahead of him, he signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar endorsement deal with Nike. Under Armour and New Balance also wanted a piece of the Manziel pie. But alas, by April 2016, Johnny’s off-field controversies caught up with him, and Nike dropped him like a hot potato.

Early Life

Jonathan Paul Manziel was born on December 6, 1992, in Tyler, Texas. He’s of Italian and Lebanese descent and has a younger sister named Meri. Now, Johnny’s parents, Paul and Michelle, are often described as oil tycoons worth tens of millions of dollars, maybe even up to $50-100 million. They met when they were bartenders, and Michelle went on to work in real estate while Paul built homes and sold cars. The family’s wealth, however, largely comes from Johnny’s great-grandfather, Bobby Joe Manziel, who struck oil in the 1930s.

Johnny played several sports growing up, but football and baseball were his main focuses at Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas. Interestingly, he started out as a receiver his freshman year but switched to quarterback during his sophomore season. By his senior year, he was making waves with stats like a 65.7% completion rate, 3,609 passing yards, 45 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions. He was named the San Antonio Express-News Offensive Player of the Year twice, the National High School Coaches Association Senior Athlete of the Year in Football, and a “Parade” All-American. Colleges were lining up to recruit him, including heavyweights like Baylor, Colorado State, Iowa State, Louisiana Tech, Oregon, Stanford, and, of course, Texas A&M.

College Career

Johnny chose Texas A&M, where he earned an academic scholarship. With quarterback Ryan Tannehill leaving for the NFL after the 2011 season, there was an opening for the starting job. Johnny outperformed Jameill Showers and Matt Joeckel to secure the spot. He quickly gained national attention by breaking Archie Manning’s 43-year-old total offense record in a game against Arkansas. After leading Texas A&M to a victory over top-ranked Alabama, Johnny found himself on Heisman Watch lists. He shattered records by becoming the first freshman—and only the fifth player ever—in NCAA history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He also became the first freshman ever to win the Davey O’Brien Award and the Heisman Trophy. In his sophomore year, he placed fifth in the Heisman voting.

Professional Career

After two standout seasons in college, Johnny decided to enter the 2014 NFL Draft, skipping his junior year at Texas A&M. Despite being projected as a first-round pick, concerns about his attitude lingered. On draft day, 21 teams passed on him before the Cleveland Browns finally selected him with the 22nd overall pick, thanks in part to a persuasive text from Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains.

Unfortunately, Johnny’s time with the Browns was fraught with difficulties. During his rookie season, he was fined $12,000 for a rude gesture during a preseason game, leading to Brian Hoyer being named the starting quarterback for the regular season opener. In 2015, videos of Johnny partying surfaced, resulting in him being demoted to third-string quarterback. By March 11, 2016, the Browns had had enough and cut him after paying him $7,707,913 in salary. During his time with the team, he threw seven touchdowns and seven interceptions.

After two years away from football, Johnny returned to the game in 2018 by signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL. However, he only lasted six weeks before being traded to the Montreal Alouettes. The CFL eventually cut ties with him, and he was released by the Alouettes. He later joined the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019, but the league folded before completing its first season. Today, Johnny plays for the FCF Zappers in the Fan-Controlled Football indoor league.

Personal Life and Controversies

Johnny got engaged to Bre Tiesi in 2017, and they tied the knot in 2018. But their marriage didn’t last long, and they separated a year later. In 2021, Bre had a child with Nick Cannon. She later joined the cast of the reality show “Selling Sunset.”

Off the field, Johnny’s life has been a rollercoaster of controversies. His first brush with the law came in June 2012, before he even played his first college game. He was involved in an altercation with a friend and presented a fake ID to police officers. Despite that, he was still named the starting quarterback for Texas A&M. His troubles continued throughout college and into his pro career, including being kicked out of a University of Texas fraternity party, an NCAA investigation into allegedly selling autographs, a run-in with the law involving then-girlfriend Colleen Crowley, and a Dallas Police Department investigation into domestic violence allegations by Crowley (he was eventually indicted on misdemeanor assault charges). His off-field antics cost him dearly, including losing his job with the Browns, his Nike endorsement deal, and even two different agents who dropped him as a client.

Blaming the Browns

In 2018, during an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Johnny shifted the blame for his struggles onto his former team, the Browns. He claimed that if they had done their homework, they would have known he wasn’t the type of guy who came in every day to watch film or really understood the intricacies of football.

Real Estate

In 2009, Johnny purchased a home in Avon, Ohio, for $400,000. He listed it for sale in 2016 for $489,0