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Interest in Cleveland Browns' QB Johnny Manziel would be low for 31 of 32 teams

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Polian: Manziel doesn't deserve consideration from Browns (0:53)

Bill Polian reacts to reports that newly acquired Browns coach Hue Jackson wants the organization to move on from QB Johnny Manziel. (0:53)

Before Hue Jackson was hired as the Cleveland Browns' head coach, he discussed Johnny Manziel at length in meetings with the team's ownership. Jackson indicated he would prefer the organization move on from Manziel if he took the job, and Jackson was told by ownership that making that move would not be a problem.

According to ESPN.com's NFL Nation reporters, 31 of 32 teams would have low interest in Manziel -- the Rams would be the only team that had medium interest. Manziel can be released by the Browns on Feb. 8, when the waiver period begins.

Here's NFL Nation's take on the interest in Manziel across the league:

MEDIUM

St. Louis Rams: Before the 2014 NFL draft, the Rams made no secret of their interest in Manziel, working him out privately and even discussing trading back into the first round to acquire him before he went to Cleveland. Even in the past month, coach Jeff Fisher said he still thinks highly of Manziel's potential. By the numbers, the Rams had the worst quarterback production in the NFL in 2015. Their hope that Nick Foles would develop into the franchise quarterback for the long term backfired and he was benched despite signing a short contract extension before ever playing in a game for the team. As of now, Case Keenum projects as the starter, and though he gave them a chance to win in all five of his starts (winning three), he's limited. Rookie Sean Mannion is still on the roster, but there's no telling when the Rams will view him as ready to compete. The need is there. The Rams like Manziel and they haven't hesitated to take chances on troubled players in the past. The only reason their interest in him isn't a high instead of medium is that it's fair to wonder if the potential headache Manziel brings to a team that's already transitioning to a new city would be too much of a risk. -- Nick Wagoner

LOW

Arizona Cardinals: First off, Manziel doesn't fit the mold of a Bruce Arians quarterback. He's short and is a run-first, pass-second player, which isn't the type of QB Arians wants. Secondly, the Cardinals don't need a distraction such as Manziel in a quarterbacks room with Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton. -- Josh Weinfuss

Atlanta Falcons: Although the Falcons could use another arm behind Matt Ryan, Manziel wouldn't be the ideal candidate. The Falcons need either an established veteran arm or an incoming rookie they could groom. They don't need a distraction, which Manziel is sure to be even if he cleans up his act a little. Plus, Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan went through the Manziel show once already, last season in Cleveland. -- Vaughn McClure

Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens have a franchise quarterback in Joe Flacco and they already addressed their backup situation by signing Ryan Mallett late in the 2015 season. This makes it very unlikely that Baltimore would have any interest in Manziel. After bringing in Mallett, why would the Ravens want to take a chance on a second quarterback with a history of behavior problems? Mallett is signed through the 2016 season, when he is scheduled to make $1.5 million (plus an additional $1 million if he plays 10 percent of the Ravens' snaps). The Ravens typically don't carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, so unless something happens with Mallett this offseason, there is no need for an additional quarterback in Baltimore. -- Jamison Hensley

Buffalo Bills: Rex Ryan has shown a nearly unmatched willingness to give players second chances, whether it's Richie Incognito, IK Enemkpali or Percy Harvin. But Ryan has also long coveted his current starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, and the Bills coach has plenty riding on Taylor's performance next season. Adding Manziel would cause an unnecessary distraction, and if Manziel ever became the starter in Buffalo, it would undermine Ryan's decision to make Taylor his starter. -- Mike Rodak

Carolina Panthers: If you could go lower than low, I'd say that. One of the keys to Carolina's success has been building what the organization likes to call a “strong culture” in the locker room. The off-the-field antics of Manziel wouldn't be tolerated or wanted. Plus the Panthers have franchise quarterback Cam Newton tied up long term. They also have Derek Anderson signed for one more year, and they like what they've seen out of third-stringer Joe Webb. -- David Newton

Chicago Bears: While the idea of Manziel and Jay Cutler co-existing as teammates is hilarious, the Bears need a backup quarterback who can actually play if and when Cutler goes down with an injury. The Bears also probably have little interest in acquiring a player with a history of being such an off-the-field distraction. The Bears are looking for high-character guys in the wake of former defensive lineman Jeremiah Ratliff’s meltdown last year when he threatened violence against members of the organization, and Ray McDonald's Memorial Day arrest and subsequent release. Manziel is a circus. The Bears are likely content to develop David Fales and search for another quarterback via the draft. -- Jeff Dickerson

Cincinnati Bengals: With news that, while he was interviewing to become the Browns' head coach, the former Bengals offensive coordinator made a request for Manziel to be dealt away, would you really think Hue Jackson's old team would want Manziel? There's absolutely no interest in Manziel from the Bengals. Besides, they have one of the best backup quarterback situations in the NFL with AJ McCarron relieving Andy Dalton. McCarron nearly led the Bengals to a prime-time win at Denver, and he all but had their wild-card round game against Pittsburgh wrapped up last weekend. -- Coley Harvey

Cleveland Browns: The Browns did their two years with Johnny Manziel. They're ready for another team to take its turn. -- Pat McManamon

Dallas Cowboys: Wait, doesn't Jerry Jones love Manziel? Don't the Cowboys need a backup quarterback? The arguments that were made against signing Manziel in 2014 are still valid, and Dallas might be the worst place for him to come, considering his off-field issues. The people who won the Manziel battle in 2014 still work for the Cowboys today, and his on-field performance has not mitigated the off-field concerns. -- Todd Archer

Denver Broncos: The Broncos are dealing with enough quarterback issues without adding a project such as Manziel. Peyton Manning's future is uncertain after an injury-marred season, but Manning is under contract for 2016 with a stratospheric salary-cap hit of $21.5 million. The Broncos asked Manning to take a pay cut before this past season -- $4 million -- and if he were to play one more season and the Broncos wanted him to do it in Denver, the Broncos would feel like they have to give that contract some attention. They also would like to re-sign Brock Osweiler, who was 5-2 in his seven starts in relief of Manning and is an unrestricted free agent. -- Jeff Legwold

Detroit Lions: It would be stunning to see Bob Quinn bring in Manziel, especially since Quinn said at his first news conference that he wanted the Lions' culture to “be one of great work ethic and no egos. We will create a working-class attitude throughout the organization.” Everything Manziel has shown so far in his two seasons in the league has run counter to that attitude. Plus, the Lions have their starting quarterback in Matthew Stafford. And while it wouldn't hurt to bring someone in to push Stafford, Manziel would seem to be the antithesis of the guy they would want to have as Stafford's No. 2. Of course, Quinn has no track record to speak of as a GM, so never say never, but it would be shocking to see him pull this move. -- Michael Rothstein

Green Bay Packers: Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson are as mindful of their locker-room culture and team chemistry as any coach-GM combination in the league. A player with Manziel's off-the-field issues would upset that. If they had a need at quarterback, which they don't (even if they lost Scott Tolzien in free agency, they're high on No. 3 Brett Hundley), there's no way they would bring a distracting figure like Manziel to Green Bay. -- Rob Demovsky

Houston Texans: The Texans had enough drama at the quarterback position in 2015, especially with their inability to depend on Mallett. Mallett was released in October after missing a team flight to the Texans' game in Miami, among other issues. I don't think they would be interested in a player with a history of questionable decision-making. They weren't the year he entered the draft. -- Tania Ganguli

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck is the starter and the Colts prefer to have a veteran with experience backing him up. That's why they signed veterans Charlie Whitehurst, Josh Freeman and Ryan Lindley after Matt Hasselbeck, another veteran, got injured. And the Colts are interested in winning Super Bowls, not babysitting a player who can't seem to avoid off-the-field issues. -- Mike Wells

Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles just came off a record-setting season (35 TDs, 4,428 yards), and the Jaguars have finally found the franchise QB they've been searching for since Mark Brunell. No way they'd consider Manziel as Bortles' backup, either. The Jaguars are interested in re-signing Chad Henne, a veteran with whom Bortles has a close relationship. The last thing this team needs in Gus Bradley's make-or-break season is a boatload of off-the-field issues, and that's what you get with Manziel. -- Michael DiRocco

Kansas City Chiefs: Alex Smith is established as Kansas City's starting quarterback, and while general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid believe in the need to develop young passers, they wouldn't be interested in the distractions that signing Manziel would bring. The Chiefs do already have developmental quarterbacks in Aaron Murray and Tyler Bray, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for one more -- just not one that comes with Manziel's considerable baggage -- Adam Teicher

Miami Dolphins: While reuniting former Texas A&M quarterbacks and teammates Ryan Tannehill and Manziel would be somewhat interesting, the Dolphins have no interest in Manziel. They just hired Adam Gase, who is the youngest head coach in the NFL (37). The worst thing the team could do is immediately give its rookie coach a huge distraction. -- James Walker

Minnesota Vikings: Manziel was at the top of the Vikings' quarterback board with Teddy Bridgewater before the 2014 draft, and coach Mike Zimmer said on Tuesday the Vikings will remain on the lookout for players who can help them at the QB position. But Bridgewater will be the Vikings' starter, and Zimmer has said on several occasions that he likes that Bridgewater has no interest in being a “celebrity quarterback.” Knowing what we know about Manziel since he entered the league, and given Bridgewater's status as the starter, the Vikings might not have a ton of patience with Manziel and all that comes with him. -- Ben Goessling

New England Patriots: The Patriots are pleased with Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, and my sense is that throughout the scouting process, they had doubts that Manziel could fit in to their hard-driving culture. -- Mike Reiss

New Orleans Saints: The Saints will eventually need to replace Drew Brees, who turns 37 this week. But they're already invested in one young QB after drafting Garrett Grayson in the third round last year. And it would be surprising to see them invite the possible distractions that could come with Manziel after they placed such an emphasis on improving the locker-room culture and character over the past year. -- Mike Triplett

New York Giants: Quarterback is the least of the Giants' considerable problems, and Manziel is exactly the type of off-field circus Giants management avoids like the plague. I guess you can't totally rule it out until we know who the next Giants head coach is, but it would be shocking to see the Giants add someone with Manziel's issues to a quiet quarterback room that includes a starter (Eli Manning) who never misses a game and a backup (Ryan Nassib) who never makes any waves. -- Dan Graziano

New York Jets: The Jets don't have the ideal quarterback situation, but they've had worse -- a lot worse. They hope to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick before the start of free agency. They also have Geno Smith (signed through 2016) and Bryce Petty in backup roles. If they add a quarterback, it would be in the draft. They don't want to deal with the Manziel circus. Todd Bowles put a lot of hard work into building locker-room chemistry and he doesn't want to endanger it by bringing in a problem child. -- Rich Cimini

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders have turned a corner and become more respectable as a football team and, yes, they already have their franchise quarterback in Derek Carr, who was a 13-yard completion away from a 4,000-yard passing season and who also tossed 32 touchdown passes. Drama has become passé in Oakland, unless you're talking stadium issues, and Johnny Football would bring nothing but drama to the East Bay. -- Paul Gutierrez

Philadelphia Eagles: It's hard to gauge the Eagles' interest in anyone at the moment. Things will seem clearer once they settle on a new head coach. If Chip Kelly were still in that seat, he might be willing to overlook Manziel's off-the-field issues to take a chance on the quarterback. But with Kelly gone, the Eagles appear headed toward a more traditional NFL setup. Character risks are not likely to be welcome. -- Phil Sheridan

Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers don't like headaches. Manziel induces them without being talented enough to offset them. Ben Roethlisberger has started 169 career games and he'll probably go at least 80 more. The Steelers like Landry Jones’ development despite his uneven performances on the field. He's an adequate backup. And the Steelers have a good five years to develop a post-Roethlisberger plan, which will be executed through the draft. -- Jeremy Fowler

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers just signed Philip Rivers to a four-year, $83 million contract extension last year. Rivers is only 34 and still has plenty of good years ahead. Manziel also is not a fit for San Diego's scheme, which relies on a quarterback directing things at the line of scrimmage and playing from inside the pocket. -- Eric D. Williams

San Francisco 49ers: The Niners have more pressing needs, such as who their coach is going to be in 2016. And while they have three QBs under contract for next season -- Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert and Dylan Thompson -- the new coach will have a major say in who's under center. Plus, this franchise has had enough drama in the past few months and yars without adding the likes of Johnny Football. -- Paul Gutierrez

Seattle Seahawks: Pete Carroll had a lot of positive things to say about Manziel before and after the Seahawks played the Browns this year. He especially liked the way Manziel was able to buy time with his legs and improvise, a quality that has helped Russell Wilson over the years. But Wilson is the unquestioned guy in Seattle and will be for years to come. The Seahawks might not mind taking Manziel on as a backup, but why would Manziel want to go to a place where he has no chance to start? There's just not much upside to a Seahawks-Manziel relationship for either side. -- Sheil Kapadia

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston just put together one of the best seasons by a rookie quarterback on NFL history. He joined Luck and Newton as the only rookie QBs to throw for more than 4,000 yards. The Bucs view Winston as a franchise quarterback and are building around the former Heisman Trophy winner. There's no place for Manziel in Tampa. -- Michael DiRocco

Tennessee Titans: We don't know who will be coaching the Titans and who will be piecing together the roster, so it's hard to be certain. But the odds new guys in those roles would want Manziel's issues and drama behind the calm, composed and professional Marcus Mariota make it appear highly unlikely. -- Paul Kuharsky

Washington Redskins: Their offseason focus will be on re-signing free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, who directed a solid offense in his first full season as a starter. They also would like to re-sign backup quarterback Colt McCoy, though that will depend on his interest in returning. There's a good chance the Redskins will carry only two quarterbacks next season. But there's another factor to consider: The Redskins will soon be getting out of a marriage to Robert Griffin III, another high-profile quarterback who created drama, some of it his own doing and a lot of it because of media interest in him. But the last thing they'd want to do is sign someone who has the both the off-field issues of a Manziel and the high profile of a Griffin. The Redskins players liked how drama-free their season was and that played a role in allowing them to move forward. Signing a guy like Manziel, even as a backup, would not make any sense. -- John Keim