Warren Moon Says Johnny Manziel Can Earn 2nd NFL Shot, Gives Advice for CFL

NFL and CFL Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon told TMZ Sports he believes Johnny Manziel can rebuild his football career in Canada.

"Now that he's gotten his life cleaned up, I think this is definitely a viable option for him to rebuild his resume as a football player it in the Canadian Football League in a game that's more suited for his game," Moon said. "And if [NFL] teams feel he has the possibility of coming back, he'll have that opportunity, but Canada is also a viable option for him to stay up there and have a long, very successful career."

Moon noted that several players took the CFL route to reach the NFL, including himself, Jeff Garcia and Doug Flute. But Moon believes Manziel will need to be humble and truly immerse himself in the CFL game and its differences to have the success he's seeking up north:

"It's a totally different game to the NFL game. It's a wider field, which is to his advantage, but there's 12 guys out there as opposed to 11, so you have an extra defensive back out there. Three downs, so the first down is really important up there because there's only three downs as opposed to four. And the game moves really, really quickly. So I think if he gets up to speed on the philosophy and the changes in the game and how you attack it, the faster he can do that the faster he'll have success."

Moon added that Manziel's status as a former first-round pick by the Cleveland Browns and as a former Texas A&M star puts added pressure on him, as expectations will be high for him in Canada. 

Manziel, 25, signed a two-year deal with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats earlier in May. 

"I don't want to wait around anymore," Manziel said after signing that contract, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "I want a chance to get on the field and get into the locker room and get a chance to play ball again. This isn't just a pit stop for me. I'm not coming here to get what I need to go back down to the NFL. I've signed into this for the long haul, for two years. I'm here to make the most of it."

But Manziel will have to pay his dues. Tiger-Cats' head coach June Jones told reporters he expects former Oregon and Ole Miss quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to serve as the team's starter for the entire 2018 season, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.

So even if Manziel quickly adapts to the CFL game and fits in with his teammates, his fans may have to wait until 2019 before they see Manziel starting once again.