TORONTO — Johnny Manziel’s agent has given the Hamilton Tiger-Cats until Jan. 31 to sign the former Heisman Trophy winner.
In a statement obtained by The Canadian Press, Erik Burkhardt, Manziel’s Dallas-based agent, said the Ticats had until the end of the month “to work out a fair deal to make him their quarterback.”
If an agreement can’t be reached, Burkhardt added “we will turn our focus to several other professional options readily available to us.”
Manziel has been on Hamilton’s negotiation list since his college days at Texas A&M, which is where he captured the 2012 Heisman Trophy before being selected in the first round, No. 22 overall, in the 2014 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns.
On Dec. 28, the CFL announced it would approve a contract for Manziel if one was negotiated with Ticats.
That gave Hamilton 10 days to make an offer to Manziel in order to maintain his rights.
The Ticats announced Sunday they’d made a contract offer to Manziel, meaning he’d remain on the club’s negotiation list for up to a year, giving Hamilton plenty of time to reach a deal with Johnny Football.
But on Monday, Burkhardt issued a firm deadline to Hamilton officials.
