Johnny Manziel had a rocky rookie season on and off the field and has reportedly lost a lot of trust inside the Cleveland Browns locker room, fueling speculation that "Johnny Football" will eventually be traded.
Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said in an interview with ESPN Cleveland that he was not surprised when they acquired quarterback Josh McCown. He said the team needs someone to carry the flag for them in the upcoming season after losing Brian Hoyer in free agency and the uncertain status of Manziel.
While he praised Manziel for asking for help and submitting himself into treatment, Thomas revealed that the 22-year-old quarterback lost a lot of trust inside the locker room because of his off-field troubles last season, which include missing practice due to late-night partying.
"I think he lost probably a lot of trust among the guys on the team last year by the way he handled himself once he became the starter," Thomas said. "And I think he had a lot of time to reflect, I'm guessing, after the season was over by the comments he made in the media and by his actions, checking himself into rehab."
However, Manziel's decision to enter rehab might not be enough to keep his spot in Cleveland as reports revealed the Browns are in talks with the Philadelphia Eagles about a possible trade before the season.
According to Chat Sports, the Browns are looking to send Manziel along with a draft pick in the upcoming draft to the Eagles in exchange for Sam Bradford, who they targeted last month before the St. Louis Rams dealt him to Philadelphia in the deal that also involved quarterback Nick Foles.
A source privy to the discussion told Chat Sports that both teams believe Manziel and Bradford will bring improvement to their respective rosters. However, the Browns wants to make sure that Bradford will be willing to commit for more than one season to the Browns and that the Eagles will settle for a second-round pick.
Chat Sports CEO James Yoder also sent an email to Dawgs By Nature, reiterating that they trust the source who gave them a tip about the ongoing trade discussions between the Browns and Eagles.
"The source in the situation is a very close friend of one of the agents of a player involved in the potential trade and took a 25 minute call with our staff today," Yoder said. "He can't guarantee the trade takes place, but we can with 100% confidence say that the content we published is factual."
Manziel, the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, completed 51.4 percent of his passes for just 175 yards with two interceptions in five appearances for the Browns last season.
