The Johnny Manziel era in Hamilton has ended without Manziel seeing a snap on offence (in the regular season).
Johnny Manziel traded to the Montreal Alouettes
Sending shockwaves throughout the CFL, TSN’s Duane Forde and David Naylor announced Sunday night that the Tiger-Cats sent quarterback Johnny Manziel and offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice to the Alouettes for defensive end Jamaal Westerman, wide receiver Chris Williams, and Montreal’s 2020 and 2021 first-round draft picks.
The centerpiece of this trade is Manziel, the 2012 Heisman trophy winner.
Manziel in all likelihood should become the starting quarterback for the Alouettes in no more than a couple of weeks, something that is paramount for an increase of viewership of CFL games.
What this trade means
This trade has massive indications for both teams. On one side, Jeremiah Masoli is June Jones’ and Hamilton’s present and future option behind centre. On the other hand, Montreal is putting full faith in a quarterback that has not played a down of meaningful professional football since 2015.
The catch-22 for Kavis Reed and Montreal with Manziel’s performance is that if Manziel does indeed become a star, he will likely find another stint on an NFL roster, making the main asset in this deal a rental. But if Manziel is unproductive, this deal will set Montreal back even further.
Hamilton’s return for their popular back up quarterback is massive. Chris Williams now joins an already-loaded Ti-Cats receiving corps. Brandon Banks, Jalen Saunders, Luke Tasker, Terrence Tolliver, and Chris Williams is a ton of speed for June Jones to work with.
Jamaal Westerman, one of the best rush ends in the league, will now likely line up opposite of fellow Canadian Justin Capicciotti, bolstering Hamilton’s National talent and defensive line at the same time.
The Last Word
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are all-in on Jeremiah Masoli, and the Montreal Alouettes are all-in on Johnny Manziel. Hamilton bettered their overall roster, while Montreal has attempted to solve a longed issue at the most important position in football. All in all, the real winner of this trade is the CFL as it appears Johnny Manziel will now be a starting quarterback in their league, attracting Manziel’s massive following.
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