7 Heisman Trophy winners who didn’t meet expectations in the NFL

Johnny Manziel — 2012 Heisman winner

In 2012, Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy after a stellar season at Texas A&M.

Nicknamed “Johnny Football,” Manziel threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed 1,410 yards for an additional 21 touchdowns. He returned to the Aggies the following year and finished the season with 4,114 passing yards for 37 touchdowns, and 759 rushing yards for nine touchdowns.

After just two collegiate seasons, Manziel declared for the NFL Draft and was selected 22nd overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2014.

But before he could take his first NFL snap, Cleveland.com reported that the Browns were “alarmed” by Manziel’s off-field partying. His troubles continued into the season, from flashing an obscene gesture at the Washington bench during a preseason game in August to seeking treatment in January 2015.

In the post-game press conference, Manziel said he gets “words exchanged” with him throughout every game, adding, “I should’ve been smarter … I need to be smarter than that. There’s always words exchanged on the football field.” He also described the moment as a “lapse in judgement.”

He finished his rookie year having played in just five games, passing for 175 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions for a passer rating of 42.0. Manziel returned to Cleveland the following season, where he played in nine games and passed for 1,500 yards and seven touchdowns.

However, it was off-field troubles that continued to plague Manziel’s career, including a 2016 misdemeanor domestic violence charge. ESPN reported that the charges were dismissed in November 2017 after Manziel met the requirements of a dismissal agreement.

The Browns released Manziel in March 2016.

“When I got to Cleveland, I wasn’t in this head space to be able to just go play football,” Manziel told Business Insider’s Meredith Cash in 2023. “I was struggling to get out of bed in the morning. I was struggling to fight thoughts and feelings that I had never really had before in my life.”

“I know that I’m still gonna walk down the street or go to a restaurant or go to a football game and people are still gonna recognize me,” Manziel added. “But at the end of the day, I wanna live a more normal, simplistic lifestyle now. I’m finding things that truly do make me happy without having to be in a spotlight every day.”

Manziel did not reply to Business Insider’s request for additional comment for this story.