Eseandre Mordi
Johnny Manziel's net worth sits at about $1 million in 2025 – a pretty sobering figure when you think about what could've been. The guy who once had the world at his feet as "Johnny Football" has been through one hell of a financial roller coaster, and his story is one that'll make you think twice about how fast money can come and go.
How Johnny First Started Making Money
So here's the thing most people don't know: back when Manziel was tearing it up at Texas A&M, there was no NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) money allowed for college athletes. But Johnny? He found a way around that. In the Netflix documentary Untold: Johnny Football, he came clean about making around $33,000 signing autographs and sports memorabilia while still in college. Yeah, it was against the rules, and he even made up some story about having oil money to cover his tracks.
His first real paycheck came in 2014 when the Cleveland Browns grabbed him with the 22nd pick in the draft. He signed a four-year deal worth $8.3 million, with a sweet $4.3 million signing bonus. Not bad for a 21-year-old kid, right? That first season, between his salary, bonus, and endorsement deals, Johnny pulled in about $7 million.
The Climb to the Top and Peak Years
Johnny's journey really started back in high school at Tivy High in Kerrville, Texas. Fun fact: he actually began as a receiver before switching to quarterback. But it was at Texas A&M where everything exploded. In 2012, as a redshirt freshman, the kid threw for 3,419 yards and 24 touchdowns, while also running for 1,181 yards and 19 more scores. That performance made him the first-ever freshman to snag the Heisman Trophy – pretty legendary stuff.
When it comes to johnny manziel net worth during his playing days, he earned $7.7 million in straight salary from the Browns over two seasons. But that wasn't all. The endorsement money was where things got really interesting – deals with Nike, Nissan, McDonald's, Panini America, MusclePharm, and Snickers brought in around $10 million. People were saying he could make over $100 million throughout a normal NFL career, but things didn't exactly work out that way.
His rookie year was probably the peak – NFL money rolling in, big-name endorsements, his jersey flying off the shelves. But off-field problems with alcohol and breaking the NFL's substance abuse rules started overshadowing everything he did on the field. By March 2016, the Browns had seen enough and cut him loose after paying out $7,707,913 total.
What Happened After the NFL
After washing out of the NFL in 2015, Johnny tried to keep his career alive wherever he could. In 2018, he headed north to the Canadian Football League, signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for around $500,000. He got traded to the Montreal Alouettes later, but eventually got banned from the whole CFL for not showing up to mandatory meetings with mental health professionals.
Then things got really tough financially. He ended up in the Fan Controlled Football league with the Zappers in 2021, making just $400 to $750 a week – that's only about $1,600 to $3,000 a month. Talk about a comedown from his NFL days.
So where does johnny manziel net worth stand today? Still hovering around that $1 million mark. He admitted in that 2023 Netflix doc that he blew through $5 million during what he called a "bender" at his lowest point, which pretty much explains the steep drop. These days, he's living a quieter life – spending time with family, hitting the golf course, and doing some sports media work instead of suiting up.
What Johnny's Learned About Making It and Keeping It Together
Here's where the story gets interesting, because Johnny's actually learned some real lessons from his mistakes. He'll tell you straight up now that success isn't a solo mission – you need solid people around you who'll keep it real. Looking back, he realizes he'd surrounded himself with "yes men," and worst of all, he was the biggest yes man to himself.
When he talks to young college players now, his message is pretty simple: "Learn from my mistakes, brother. Learn from Johnny". He tells them to stay hungry and focused, even when things are going great, and to avoid the trap of celebrating too hard – the same trap that caught him.
Johnny's got some surprisingly good takes on life now. He says "failure is not the end, but rather a stepping stone to success" and that every setback is just a chance to learn something new. He's big on the work ethic thing too, always saying "you have to be willing to put in the work if you want to achieve your dreams".
The biggest change? He's brought in people who'll actually challenge him and call him out when needed, instead of just telling him what he wants to hear. He's also completely sober now and encourages people to "find things that make you tick, find things that genuinely make you happy" rather than chasing the party lifestyle that almost destroyed him.
Johnny's story is basically a masterclass in what not to do when you hit it big. But it's also about redemption and learning from your screw-ups. His work in sports media now, including his podcast "Glory Daze," shows he's serious about passing along these lessons so the next generation doesn't make the same mistakes. Sometimes the best teachers are the ones who learned everything the hard way.
Eseandre Mordi
