Johnny Manziel

[jerrym]

It would create quite a stir for a while if the Argos managed to land him. So how does this sign, trade or release in 10 days work. Suppose Hamilton gave what the
league considered a fair offer and the Manziel camp turned it down. Does he then become a free agent? Or stay on the Hamilton neg list?

Here is how it works.

If a contract offer is not received within that period, the player is removed from the neg list. If a contract offer is received but rejected, the player is removed from the list one year from the offer date.

http://3downnation.com/2017/09/13/jo...-clock-report/

[AngeloV]

Here is how it works.



http://3downnation.com/2017/09/13/jo...-clock-report/

That's utter stupidity. Neg lists need to go away. I'd even prefer an International draft.

[jerrym]

Here is how it works.

If a contract offer is not received within that period, the player is removed from the neg list. If a contract offer is received but rejected, the player is removed from the list one year from the offer date.

http://3downnation.com/2017/09/13/jo...-clock-report/

That's utter stupidity. Neg lists need to go away. I'd even prefer an International draft.

I agree but after the Art Briles fiasco in Tiger Town do they really want to risk another fiasco with Manziel given his history that includes a domestic violence charge? If Hamilton wants to salvage something out of this, they could make a minimum salary offer to Manziel and quickly trade his rights to one of the other teams interested in him. Personally I wouldn't even do that because the Cats already have created an image problem with their fans.

The league has said Manziel would have to undergo an assessment with a domestic violence prevention official and meet with commissioner Randy Ambrosie, who’d then decide whether to approve the contract. In January 2016, Manziel was charged after being accused of hitting and threatening a former girlfriend before reaching an agreement with prosecutors to dismiss the case. ...
It’s unclear which teams are interested in Manziel but any club acquiring him would have an additional 10 days after the consummation of the deal to make him a contract offer. If an offer was made and Manziel turned it down, he’d remain on the franchise’s negotiation list for up to a year from the date of rejection. ...
A team could initially present Manziel a two-year deal – one year plus an option – for the league minimum of $53,000 annually knowing it’d be turned down. But it would be with the understanding two sides would have up to a year to work out a more suitable agreement while ensuring Manziel doesn’t step on to a CFL field with another franchise.

http://3downnation.com/2017/09/14/ti...erest-manziel/

[Rich]

I agree but after the Art Briles fiasco in Tiger Town do they really want to risk another fiasco with Manziel given his history that includes a domestic violence charge?

A domestic violence charge doesn't look like it's gonna hurt Ezekiel Elliott's career very much. In the NFL kneeling for the anthem is considered a bigger sin than hitting a woman. Why would domestic violence charges be any less forgivable in the CFL?

[Rich]

As I said in February, it wouldn't surprise me if Larry Tannenbaum was strongly "encouraging" Popp to sign Johnny Football. Larry knows that people love big names in this town, and I'd bet he believes that signing a big name like Manziel would put the Argonauts on the map.

But I agree with Angelo, it would only make sense if he signed a 3-year contract, this year plus a commitment for 2 more. Johnny could spend the rest of this season learning the ropes watching Ricky play and take over for the start of next season, while Tannenbaum watches ticket sales go through the roof.

[AngeloV]

As I said in February, it wouldn't surprise me if Larry Tannenbaum was strongly "encouraging" Popp to sign Johnny Football. Larry knows that people love big names in this town, and I'd bet he believes that signing a big name like Manziel would put the Argonauts on the map.

But I agree with Angelo, it would only make sense if he signed a 3-year contract, this year plus a commitment for 2 more. Johnny could spend the rest of this season learning the ropes watching Ricky play and take over for the start of next season, while Tannenbaum watches ticket sales go through the roof.

This is where I disagree. I don't think signing Manziel would result in a major spike in ticket sales. A minor one, yes, but not a major one.

[Argo]

This is where I disagree. I don't think signing Manziel would result in a major spike in ticket sales. A minor one, yes, but not a major one.

Two questions:

Can he make the throws a QB needs to make in the CFL?
Character: is there any evidence whatsoever of quality in this fellow?

[Rich]

This is where I disagree. I don't think signing Manziel would result in a major spike in ticket sales. A minor one, yes, but not a major one.

I was being a little facetious about the sales going through the roof, but there are good reasons to believe Manziel would spike sales a lot more than Ricky Williams did.

First, there's a bunch of casual sports fans who are curious about the Argos BMO "experience", in particular the tailgating, but casual fans don't want to buy tickets for a losing team. These people need some kind of on-field reason to buy Argos tickets, and, in the absence of a big winning season, Johnny would certainly provide that. By way of comparison, literally nobody was curious about the Argos Skydome "experience" in 2006.

Secondly, Ricky Williams was entering the last third of his career when he came here. Everybody knew what he could do on the field and what to expect. On the other hand, nobody has seen Johnny play pro very much, and there's a huge pent-up demand across the continent -- which includes Toronto -- to see more of what this guy can do on the field.

Furthermore, I would argue that Johnny Football is a more famous celebrity today than Ricky Williams was in 06. Manziel is a huge Twitter celeb, and Twitter was just getting off the ground back then.