When the Browns Court Johnny Manziel?

Cleveland Browns are completely done with Johnny Manziel; Hue Jackson's comments on the combined are the closest to the confirmation that anyone needs. But while all the other teams was cutting its dead weight last week, the Browns are not going to do anything until 4 pm EST today at the earliest and possibly not for a while after that.

The Browns have not cut Manziel however, because they can not afford. They are right up against the salary cap for the 2015 season, and cutting Manziel half of his rookie contract require to pay all his remaining guaranteed money and take a cap hit of $ 4.3 million. They simply can not adapt to that under the cover 2015, but if they wait until the new year in the league, which begins this afternoon, the blow cap count against their payroll in 2016, when they will be able to absorb it.

There remains the slight possibility that Manziel can remain one of Brown in the coming months, for two reasons, both related to money. The first is pragmatic: if Cleveland wait until June 1, they could spread Manziel dead money for the next two seasons.

The second reason is pragmatic as well, but a bit depressing: if Johnny Manziel is a member of the Browns of the NFL when hands down personal conduct suspension for his domestic violence incidents, the Browns are to recover some of their money guaranteed .

"If I were Cleveland, this is the way he was thinking," began Schefter. "Johnny Manziel is probably going to be disciplined by the NFL, probably will be suspended. If and when suspended, Brown could regain some extra money."

So the ideal situation for the Browns is clinging to Johnny Manziel until it has been suspended, and then cut. The NFL is a magical place.

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