With Deshaun Watson and Baker Mayfield about to face off in a battle of notorious Cleveland Browns quarterbacks, maybe Johnny Manziel is feeling a little left out. That could be why he has issued a mea culpa that has been long overdue.
After years spent blaming everyone but himself for his stunted NFL career, Manziel has changed his tune leading up to the Week 2 matchup between the Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Perhaps he wanted to generate some headlines of his own with the focus on the current Cleveland QB situation, or maybe he really felt the need to get some bad feelings off his chest.
In a recent appearance on Ja’Marr Chase’s podcast, Manziel finally admitted who’s really to blame for his failure, pointing the finger directly at himself.
“I don’t have anybody else to blame but myself for how my NFL career went,” Manziel said.
Johnny Manziel says he spent years blaming the Browns, then realized he had nobody else to blame for how his NFL career went
"There's been times where I've put some blame obviously on the Cleveland Browns for how my time and situation in the league went. And I was sitting here… pic.twitter.com/HLoOOguS5I
— katsu (@katsuxbt) September 17, 2026
In the long monologue, Manziel said he recently had a moment of clarity and admitted he “could not have cared less when I got to the NFL my first year.” During his rookie season, he snuck out to party when the team was on the road, saying he wasn’t tired, but it didn’t even matter because he probably wasn’t going to get in the game anyway.
He said the Browns never caught him doing so, but he added, “Maybe they knew and didn’t care.” Manziel finally comes to the realization that when you are a rookie in the NFL, it is better to “Go stay in the room.”
These revelations are timid when compared to the totality of Manziel’s career and subsequent off-field troubles. He has faced domestic violence allegations, admitted to a gambling addiction, and entered rehab multiple times for alcohol and drug issues.
A first-round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, Manziel lasted just two seasons in the league, playing 14 games with eight starts for the Browns. In a long line of failed Cleveland quarterbacks, his tenure is among the all-time worst.
Maybe this latest example of personal growth will help Manziel continue to turn his life around.
NEXT: 2 Keys To The Browns Pulling An Upset On Sunday
