Johnny Manziel spent just two seasons in the NFL, going 2-6 as a starter before the Cleveland Browns moved on. That tenure has stayed with him far longer than it lasted. When old comments about hating the franchise resurfaced this week, a radio host couldn’t let it go, and Manziel responded in a way that left little to the imagination.

“My tenure in Cleveland was doomed by a lot more people than just be. I’ve taken plenty of responsibility for my failures in that building and in that city. By the way, have you spoken to or about or 6th pick in the draft that year, Justin Gilbert lately? Or what about our all-world coach that was hired, Mike Pettine? Tom Brady couldn’t have won with our roster from 2015. Just move on, fuck off, and leave me out of this bullshit,” Manziel wrote on X.

This whole thing didn’t just pop up out of nowhere. The video clip that started it all actually goes back to early September in 2025, during his appearance on the ‘Nightcap’ podcast, where Manziel told Shannon Sharpe and Chad Ochocinco that Cleveland was never getting his forgiveness.

“I go back and forth with, do I let Cleveland off the hook or do I sit here with hate and animosity for the rest of my life? And I decided I’m going to hate them forever,” Manziel said. “No love for the Browns. I’m rooting for 0-16 every season.”

That comment sat untouched for months until ESPN Cleveland’s official account dug it back up earlier this week. From there, radio host Tony Rizzo took the bait and built an entire segment around it, eventually asking, “What did anyone do to you, except root for you to win?”

That question is what set Manziel off, and maybe his reaction makes more sense once you remember the hype he carried into the league. At Texas A&M, he racked up 7,820 passing yards and 93 total touchdowns, numbers that made him a first-round pick in 2014. Cleveland just never got to see any of that magic. Across 14 games with the Browns, Manziel completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, and looking closely, it’s easy to see he wasn’t getting much help either.

The offense around him posted a 69.5 impact score that ranked 24th league-wide, while the defense checked in at 67.2, good for 29th in 2015, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact metrics.

He never got the chance to prove Cleveland wrong on the field, and now it looks like he never plans to.