How Does Former Quarterback Johnny Manziel Make Money Now? The Answer May Surprise You

Fans of former football quarterback Johnny Manziel are wondering how he makes money now that he is retired. The Heisman Trophy winner played football for the Cleveland Browns as well as the Canadian Football League and the Alliance of American Football.

Johnny's NFL career was tainted by misconduct off the field, and he was released from the Browns in 2016, per People. Known in his college days at Texas A&M University as "Johnny Football," the retired pro has a new career.

According to Sports Illustrated and the Action Network, Johnny is a college football analyst for the Big Bets on Campus Podcast. The former footballer hosts the "Hail Mary Pick of the Week" on YouTube every Tuesday as well as every Saturday morning.

"College football is back, and it’s an exciting time for the sport I love," said Johnny Football about joining the podcast in 2024. "I’m looking forward to joining the guys and sharing my view week-by-week of the college football landscape."

Johnny won the coveted Heisman Trophy back in 2012, before going on to play 15 games in the NFL, per The Spun. Johnny Football went on to play 19 games in the Spring League before joining the Canadian Football League for 16 games. He also played football with the Alliance of American Football.

The ex-quarterback was accused of domestic violence by his ex-girlfriend, Colleen Crowley, in Dallas back in 2016, and a criminal indictment led to his release from the Browns.

Johnny Football also struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, and he revealed in 2018 that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. He was "self-medicating" to deal with depression, but he stopped drinking and now takes medication, per ESPN.

He went on to begin another podcast in 2024, Glory Daze with Johnny Manziel, and he shared the story about his NFL career and subsequent downfall in a 2023 Netflix documentary, Untold: Johnny Football.

“I have so much life left to live, and my football chapter's closed," he said. "But let's find out what's going to be next and what I want to do moving forward to make myself happy and live a nice life."

During a 2025 episode of Glory Daze with Johnny Manziel, the ex-NFL star was candid about having a gambling problem while playing in the NFL.

"I was addicted to the NBA," he revealed. "It was the years of, like, Bron coming back to Cleveland, Melo still really good, Kobe, the Christmas games were, like, amazing. For me, I was so tapped in and hooked on weekly basketball, to get home from a practice and turn a game on at 7 or 8 o’clock at night."

"After I get cut in Cleveland, I learn about casino credit and like getting a wire, walking to the table, and getting 100k out," he continued. "I remember like, forgetting about it and going on another trip and going on run, and getting a call like 'yo, you have 24 hours to pay this marker off or people in Las Vegas are going to send a felony conviction out for your a-s."

New episodes of Glory Daze with Johnny Manziel drop every Thursday on YouTube.