Johnny Manziel to return to field, joins Fan Controlled Football league

Johnny Manziel is making his much-anticipated return to football in 2021. 

The former Cleveland Browns quarterback is set to join a startup league called Fan Controlled Football, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert. The league, which is a first of its kind, will allow fans to call plays and make roster decisions.

Fan Controlled Football is set to begin in February and will feature 7-on-7 action. Manziel admitted that the league's fan-oriented nature is something that drew him in.

"The more I heard about what this was going to be, the more I felt it was going to be something that was just very fun," Manziel said. "It's going to be very fan-oriented and something I could get behind without being extremely, extremely, extremely serious, the way that my football career has been in the past." 

FCF co-founder and CEO Sohrob Farudi lauded Manziel, saying the 28-year-old has a "big, bold personality" that will be perfect for the league, which will have a six-week schedule with games streaming on Twitch. 

Manziel, a former Heisman Trophy winner, was drafted by the Browns 22nd overall in 2014. He spent two years with the franchise before being cut due to off-field issues. He then spent time in the Canadian Football League with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes before joining the Alliance of American Football in 2019.