Johnny Manziel unbuckled the chinstrap, ripped off his helmet and slammed it on the field at Arrowhead Stadium.
It was the last time Manziel ever donned a Browns uniform.
The team ensured it by cutting him Friday.
It could also prove to be his final appearance on the field as an NFL player.
The image of Manziel throwing a tantrum after time expired Dec. 27 in a 17-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs perfectly illustrates his disastrous tenure in Cleveland. The disappointment, the frustration, the agony — all of it captured in a fit of uncontrollable rage.
Manziel was drafted 22nd overall in 2014 to become the franchise quarterback of a long-suffering team. Instead, he inflicted more pain by becoming the personification of wasted talent, an enormous bust with a penchant for rampant partying and a toxic reputation.
The Browns filed for divorce from Manziel on Feb. 2, when head of football operations Sashi Brown made it clear he planned to cut the former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M once the new league year arrived Wednesday and gave the organization the financial flexibility needed to absorb the $4.624 salary-cap hit.
However, the Browns held on to Manziel for a bit longer than originally expected to see if they could lure a team into trading a conditional late-round pick for him. No one bit on a deal, which would have saved them the $2.17 million he’s guaranteed during the next two seasons.
So the divorce was finalized with the Browns announcing on Twitter at 11:33 a.m. Friday they had waived Manziel. They sent a news release a minute later without a quote from their brass.
Manziel released the following statement through his publicist: “I’d like to thank the Browns for the opportunity they gave me — nearly two years ago, we all hoped that we were building what could be a championship team for Cleveland. I will always remember the support I received from the organization, my teammates and especially the fans.”
The Browns are left seeking their quarterback of the future yet again and will likely fill the role by drafting North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz or California’s Jared Goff second overall on April 28.
They’re also interested in trading with the San Francisco 49ers for quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who, according to ESPN, would be eager to join the Browns because he would like to play for coach Hue Jackson.
The Browns have been the most aggressive suitor in the Kaepernick sweepstakes, per the report, but they have competition from the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos. On Friday, the Broncos traded a conditional late-round pick in 2017 to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for backup quarterback Mark Sanchez, a move Broncos General Manager John Elway described on Twitter as “the 1st step in our process.”
The Sacramento Bee reported the 49ers are believed to have reached an understanding with the Browns in which they would receive a third-round pick (No. 65 overall) for Kaepernick. But the Browns would want to restructure his contract first, according to NFL Network, and talks with his agents haven’t progressed enough for him to approve a new deal. The 49ers are preparing to keep him if nothing works out, per the network.
As for Manziel, he leaves Cleveland with a record of 2-6 as a starter and two years left on his four-year, $8.248 million contract, which included $7.998 million guaranteed. He completed 147-of-258 passes (57 percent) for 1,675 yards and seven touchdowns with seven interceptions to go along with a rating of 74.4. He rushed for 259 yards and a touchdown.
Manziel, 23, will be available Saturday for any team to claim off waivers. He’ll likely go unclaimed, whereupon he would become a free agent.
But perhaps no team is willing at this point to scour through the fiery wreckage of his troubled life to see if it can save his career. Not with the possibilities of jail time and a suspension from the league looming.
His ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley accused him of beating her and threatening to kill them both Jan. 30 in Dallas. Police investigated the domestic violence case and referred it to a grand jury, which will consider whether to charge Manziel.
The NFL launched a probe as well and could suspend him, even if he’s not charged. The Browns are expected to attempt to recoup guaranteed money in Manziel’s contract if he’s suspended.
In the meantime, he has continued to live in the fast lane. Videos showing him tossing money at strippers, smoking in a nightclub and frequenting countless bars have surfaced online in the past two weeks.
He spent more than 10 weeks last year in an inpatient rehabilitation facility specializing in alcohol and drug addiction treatment, but the issues that led him there resurfaced as this past season unfolded.
For the vast majority of the past two years, the Browns stood by Manziel, defended him and, in some ways, enabled him.
Still, he finally wrote his ticket out of town when he abandoned the Browns during the Jan. 3 season finale, reportedly fleeing to party in Las Vegas that weekend while in the NFL’s concussion protocol and hiding behind a blond wig, mustache, glasses and the pseudonym “Billy.”
Throughout Manziel’s two seasons with the Browns, he was involved in so many embarrassing off-field incidents — the inflatable swan ride, the rolled-up dollar bill in a bathroom, the brawl with fans, the Oct. 12 in-car fight with Crowley — that they all can’t be listed here.
He also made countless promises to clean up his act.
But in realty, one sentence he uttered on June 27, 2014, during the NFL Rookie Symposium defined his stint with the Browns.
“I’m not going to change who I am for anybody.”