COLLEGE STATION, Texas _ Johnny Manziel didn't want to become the story of Texas A&M's pro day on Tuesday.
But, alas, he's still Johnny Manziel, the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner who dazzled on the field and partied off it.
He's a polarizing figure who remains a revered icon by Aggies faithful and a disgraced NFL bust by others.
But Manziel hasn't left the football world's consciousness even though he hasn't suited up in two years. Just ask Mike Evans, Manziel's top receiving target at A&M who has become a Pro Bowler for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Asked how often people ask about Manziel, Evans said, "Oh, man, all the time. He's a rock star. Everybody wants to know about Johnny. If I didn't play with him, I'd probably ask about him as well.
"I tell them the truth _ he's one of my good friends, awesome player and he's getting his life back on track, so I'm happy for him."
Manziel, 25, is in the early stages of what he hopes is a revival of a professional career that went sideways. The Cleveland Browns used a first-round pick on Manziel in the 2014 NFL draft, and he lasted just two seasons. Manziel started eight games, going 2-6, and throwing just as many interceptions (seven) as touchdowns (seven) in his two seasons.
Manziel created more headlines off the field, including alleged domestic violence against a former girlfriend and admitted alcohol abuse. But he recently revealed he has battled bipolar disorder and depression and says he has quit drinking.
Now his focus is solely on resuming his football career, preferably in the NFL. The Canadian Football League is his second option.
"If something pops up, it pops up," Manziel said. "If not and I don't get the opportunity to go back (to the NFL), I'm going to play in the CFL and things are gonna be fine. One way or another, one day down the line, I'm going to get back to exactly where I want to be."
Sounds good, right?
Manziel had the right tone and answer to seemingly every question. Manziel opened by thanking new Aggies coach Jimbo Fisher for allowing him to throw at the pro day and rolling out the red carpet, saying, "I don't feel like I've made the school exactly proud all the time."
Manziel looked sharp in throwing passes to players such as Christian Kirk. He aired it out a few times and appeared in his best physical shape in recent years.
It marked Manziel's second pro day this month as he worked out in front of 12 teams at the University of San Diego pro day earlier this week.
Manziel joked that he's "retired" from participating in pro days after his session at A&M. Next up is playing in the developmental league, which he'll report to on Wednesday. The league does not pay its players. The four-team league will have joint practices and games from March 28 to April 15 in Austin, and is designed to grow and showcase players for NFL and CFL teams.
Yes, Manziel is willing to work for free for another opportunity.
"I love where he's at right now. He's balanced. He's married," said his agent, Erik Burkhardt, who once fired Manziel before taking him back on as a client 18 months ago. "I definitely think he can come in and contribute to a team. As we told teams, it's part of what we're doing with the spring league. He'll play for free. He'll play anywhere. He misses the game. He misses the camaraderie. He just wants that back, man. He wants an opportunity.
"He's got practice squad eligibility in the NFL. I'm not going in saying I want to take some guy's job or be the starter. That's not the expectation. We'll go in and be the third stringer, practice squad guy, get coffee for everybody, whatever he has to do."
Manziel held his own Tuesday in front of a number of NFL scouts and executives. Time will tell whether that leads to another opportunity.
Evans didn't hesitate in calling Manziel an NFL quarterback.
"I guess some teams think it's high risk, but I think the reward is there," Evans said. "He's a phenomenal talent. He'll bring fans if the team or the franchise isn't selling tickets, he'll definitely do that. He can just flat-out play. At least he should be a No. 2 somewhere, if not the starter."
Kirk, a possible first-round pick in next month's NFL draft, was pleased with his decision to have Manziel throwing to him.
"He came out here and killed it," Kirk said. "Just a thing where we were helping each other."
Manziel understands now that it's about consistency going forward. He can't revert back to his old partying ways and creating headlines for the wrong reasons. If he manages to do that and take advantage should an opportunity come his way, it has a chance to be one of the better redemption stories in sports. This is a forgiving society that loves comeback stories.
"I don't want to sound cliche, but this is bigger than football," Burkhardt said. "When you look at the millions and millions of people out there who are dealing with mental illness, whether it be depression, bipolar ... I don't think going back to the NFL and throwing 50 touchdown passes and nine interceptions next year, that would be great and that's one of his goals and everything else, but that's not going to touch and affect as many lives as the redemption story, the comeback story off the field."
