Overview

Jonathan Paul Manziel (born December 6, 1992), nicknamed “Johnny Football”, is a retired American football player. He rose to prominence as a quarterback at Texas A&M University, winning the Heisman Trophy in 2012, the first freshman to ever win the award. Manziel entered the 2014 NFL draft. He was chosen as the #22 pick by the Cleveland Browns. Manziel’s NFL career (2014-2015) was marred by off-field issues. After leaving the NFL, he briefly played in the CFL and AAF. Manziel’s career earnings were significantly lower than projected due to his short and controversial NFL stint. In August 2023, a Netflix documentary, Untold: Johnny Football, chronicled his rise and fall. Manziel made $7.7 million in salary and around $10 million from endorsements, the majority of which came from one contract with Nike that was eventually canceled. He had been projected to earn over $100 million.

What Is Johnny Manziel’s Net Worth?

As of 2025, Johnny Manziel’s net worth is estimated to be around $1 million. This figure reflects a career trajectory marked by high potential but ultimately hampered by off-field issues and controversies. Despite early projections suggesting the possibility of earning over $100 million through salary and endorsements, his actual earnings fell significantly short due to his brief and turbulent NFL career.

Johnny Manziel’s Career Earnings: A Detailed Breakdown

Manziel’s total career pre-tax earnings are estimated at $18 million. This sum comprises approximately $7.7 million in salary from his time with the Cleveland Browns and an estimated $10 million from endorsements. His initial NFL contract with the Browns was a four-year deal worth $8.25 million, which included a $4.3 million signing bonus. During his rookie year, Manziel earned around $7 million from salary, signing bonus, and endorsements. However, his performance on the field during that year was limited, with just 175 passing yards, zero passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown.

On March 11, 2016, the Cleveland Browns released Manziel, having paid him $7,707,913 in salary. During his time with the team, he threw seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. This $7,707,913 figure represents his total NFL career earnings from salary. The remaining earnings came from endorsement deals, most notably with Nike, Nissan, McDonald’s, and Panini America. His deal with Nike was a multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement signed just before the NFL draft, when he was projected to be a first-round pick with a promising career. However, this deal was terminated in April 2016 following a series of off-field controversies.

In a 2023 Netflix documentary, Manziel claimed to have spent $5 million on a “bender” during and immediately after his NFL years. Although the exact compensation for his appearance in the documentary is not publicly known, it is likely that he received a substantial fee, possibly in the high six-figure or low seven-figure range.

Early Life and Family Background

Jonathan Paul Manziel was born on December 6, 1992, in Tyler, Texas. He has Italian and Lebanese heritage and a younger sister named Meri. Manziel’s parents, Paul and Michelle Manziel, have been described as successful, particularly due to investments in the oil and natural gas industries. While some reports suggest that his parents’ net worth could be in the tens of millions of dollars, perhaps as much as $50-100 million, this information is not definitively confirmed through publicly available sources.

There were rumors about Johnny Manziel coming from a huge oil fortune. As Johnny explained in his 2023 Netflix documentary, he embellished his family fortune to provide cover for the money he was earning selling autographs (which was against NCAA rules at the time). However, it is true that Johnny has oil money in his family background. Johnny’s great-great-grandfather, Joe Manziel, emigrated from Syria to the United States in 1907. Johnny’s great-grandfather, Bobby Joe, discovered oil in Texas in 1930 after drilling dozens of wells unsuccessfully. The successful well turned into several wells and provided Bobby Joe a healthy income…healthy enough to fund what today stands as “The Oil Palace,” a 7,000-person music venue in Tyler, Texas. Bobby Joe originally envisioned the Palace as a boxing venue. He died in 1956, and construction was halted for almost 30 years. Finally, it was completed and opened in 1983. Bobby Joe’s namesake son, Bobby Joe Jr., was arrested in 1975 and charged with conspiracy in connection to a 1975 murder. The murder charges were dropped, but he was convicted on cocaine trafficking charges. Bobby Joe Jr. ran The Oil Palace until his death in 2022.

Johnny’s parents are very modest and normal people. They were bartenders when Johnny was born. Johnny’s father, Paul, spent most of his career working as a car salesman, managing a Honda dealership three hours from their home. He would reportedly only come home on weekends for many years. Johnny was raised in a normal home in Tyler, Texas, that today has an estimated value of $700,000. His parents still own and live in the home. In October 2015, a $400,000 lake house owned by Johnny’s grandfather, Paul Manziel Sr., burned to the ground somewhat mysteriously.

Professional Career Details

Manziel’s professional football career began with the Cleveland Browns, who selected him as the 22nd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. His rookie season was marked by inconsistent performance and off-field issues, including a $12,000 fine for a rude gesture during a preseason game. In 2015, he was demoted to third-string quarterback after videos of him partying surfaced online. His time with the Browns ended in March 2016 when the team released him after paying him $7,707,913 in salary.

After a period away from football, Manziel signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2018. However, he was traded to the Montreal Alouettes after only six weeks on the bench. The CFL eventually terminated its relationship with Manziel, and he was released by the Alouettes on orders from league officials. In 2019, Manziel attempted to return to professional football by joining the Alliance of American Football (AAF) with the Memphis Express team. However, the league filed for bankruptcy in April 2019, cutting short his tenure there.

As of March 2025, Manziel is signed with FCF Zappers of the Fan-Controlled Football indoor league. His current contract details with the FCF Zappers are not publicly available.

Real Estate and Personal Life

In May 2009, Johnny Manziel purchased a home in Avon, Ohio, for $400,000. He listed the property for sale in May 2016 for $489,000 and ultimately sold it in June 2016 for $480,000. Currently, he resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. Details of his current residence, including its address or value, are not publicly available.

Manziel was engaged to Bre Tiesi in March 2017, and they married in March 2018. However, they separated a year later. In June 2021, Bre Tiesi had a child with Nick Cannon. In 2023, Bre joined the cast of the reality show “Selling Sunset.”

Controversies and Legal Issues

Throughout his career, Manziel faced several controversies and legal issues. His first arrest occurred in June 2012, before his first college football game, for presenting a fake ID to police officers. During his time in college and the NFL, he was involved in incidents such as getting kicked out of a University of Texas fraternity party, an NCAA investigation into allegedly accepting payments for autographs, and a Dallas Police Department investigation into domestic violence claims by then-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. These incidents led to repercussions such as the Cleveland Browns cutting ties with him and losing his sponsorship deal with Nike.

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