Okay, so I found myself digging into Johnny Manziel’s rookie contract details the other day. Wasn’t for any big project, just got thinking about that whole draft saga again and the numbers involved. You know how sometimes these things just pop into your head.
First step, I just went online. Fired up my browser and typed in something simple like “Johnny Manziel rookie contract details”. Pretty basic start, right?
Got a whole load of results back, mostly old news articles from when he first got signed by the Cleveland Browns back in 2014. Had to sort through a bit of the noise, lots of opinions on him back then, way more than just the contract facts.
I focused on finding sites that look specifically at player contracts or reliable sports news outlets that reported the official numbers when the deal was actually signed. Needed to make sure I was getting the real figures, not just speculation.
Found a few consistent reports pretty quickly. They all mentioned he was the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. That position is key because rookie deals are slotted, meaning the contract value is largely predetermined by where you get picked.
Getting the Actual Figures
So, I started jotting down the numbers that kept appearing across different sources. It’s good to cross-reference, make sure things line up.
The deal was for four years, which is standard stuff for a first-round pick. No surprises there.
Then I looked for the total maximum value. The figure that popped up most consistently was around $8.25 million. Seems about right for where he was picked back then under the rookie wage scale.
Next up was the signing bonus. That’s the chunk of cash players get right away. Found reports putting that number at about $4.3 million. A significant amount, nearly half the total value right there.
Probably the most important part, especially for rookies, is how much is guaranteed. I specifically looked for that. Found that the contract was reported as being fully guaranteed. That means, at the time of signing, he was locked in to receive that full $8.25 million, regardless of performance or getting cut later (though off-field conduct clauses can sometimes affect guarantees, but the base structure was guaranteed).
Wrapping Up My Quick Search
So, after poking around for a bit, I had the main details pinned down. Just wanted to confirm what I vaguely remembered.
- Player: Johnny Manziel
- Team: Cleveland Browns
- Draft Year: 2014 (22nd Overall)
- Contract Term: 4 Years
- Total Value: Around $8.25 million
- Signing Bonus: Around $4.3 million
- Guaranteed Money: $8.25 million (Fully Guaranteed at signing)
It was just a little exercise in looking up old info. Interesting to see the raw numbers again, especially the fully guaranteed part, considering everything that happened afterward. Just goes to show how things are structured for these high draft picks. Anyway, that was my little dive into the specifics of that contract.
