Mike Pettine Reportedly Was Ready to Move on from Johnny Manziel

Johnny Manziel still has many supporters in the Cleveland Browns organization even after his stint in a rehabilitation clinic this spring. One of them, however, may not be Browns head coach Mike Pettine.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported Thursday that Pettine was ready to "move on" from the troubled quarterback when he entered rehab.

It's unclear how close the Browns actually came to doing so. Robinson cites owner Jimmy Haslam, general manager Ray Farmer and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo as three of the many within the organization who still believe in the former Heisman winner. 

David Richard/Associated Press

Manziel, a first-round pick in 2014, attempted just 35 passes during his rocky rookie season. He did not throw for a touchdown and was picked off twice, as Pettine consistently chose the steadier Brian Hoyer to lead his offense. He was also a headache to deal with off the field, with a player telling Jeremy Fowler and Pat McManamon of ESPN.com that he was a "100 percent joke." 

In February, Manziel entered a 10-week rehabilitation clinic to deal with his issues. He checked out of the facility last month, issuing a statement through the team apologizing for his actions. 

"I owe private apologies to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down," Manziel said. "I take full responsibility for my actions and it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect. I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say."

Cleveland signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown this offseason. Pettine told reporters McCown will be the team's starter heading into training camp and said there is no competition at this time.

“We’re not going to start talking competition,” Pettine said, per Scott Petrak of the Chronicle-Telegram. “Josh will more than likely be the starter going into camp, and in the foreseeable future I don’t see that changing."

McCown, 35, threw for 2,206 yards and 11 touchdowns against 14 interceptions last season. A career backup, McCown has parlayed his surprising eight-game stint with Chicago in 2013 into starting gigs each of the last two offseasons. Given his otherwise shaky track record, Manziel should be able to turn the quarterback gig into a competition later this summer.

Of course, we were saying the same thing a year ago about Hoyer. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter