The fact that the Browns couldn’t cut quarterback Johnny Manziel before March 9 apparently didn’t mean they would cut him on March 9.
Manziel is still a member of the team, whether it’s because the Browns are waiting for a suspension in order to justify voiding his guaranteed money or because the Browns would like to try to trade a guy who, by all appearances, is currently radioactive.
Despite the rich green glow that comes from the bright red flag of a potential domestic violence prosecution, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggests that the Browns should include Manziel in a package that would be sent to San Francisco for Colin Kaepernick.
It’s well known that Kelly recruited Manziel to Oregon, and that once Manziel gave Kelly a verbal commitment, the schools in his home state of Texas woke up. Now, Kelly could have Manziel plus whatever else the Browns would ship to San Francisco for Kaepernick.
That doesn’t mean the 49ers would or should want Manziel, given not only the pending criminal case but also a lifestyle that suggests Aldon Smith Part II, if not worse. It also doesn’t mean Kaepernick would be interested in Cleveland, where four key players have departed in the first two days of free agency and not a single new one has arrived.
New coach Hue Jackson possibly would be able to make a passionate pitch to Kaepernick, if Jackson gets the chance to do so. With better overall teams like the Broncos and Jets in the hunt, however, Kaepernick is more likely to want to go to either of those two places instead.