Johnny Manziel is still a year away from deciding whether he wants to make the leap to the NFL, but he and his family are already taking steps to protect his future.
The Heisman Trophy winner is in the process of filing for an insurance policy, similar to the one secured last month by South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney, that will protect his potential for future earnings should an injury prevent him from one day playing in the pros.
“We’re currently in the process of doing that,” Manziel told ESPN.com’s Sam Khan Jr. “It’s just a precaution. I think there’s a lot of players who have done it in the past and you never know what could happen. Football is a dangerous sport, so you kind of have to make sure that you take a precaution in that regard.”
Though the signal caller is only a rising sophomore, he redshirted his freshman year, allowing him to declare for the NFL draft following the 2013 season if so chooses. Manziel is certainly aware of this, and would not rule out forgoing his junior and senior seasons, but said his pro prospects are not at the forefront of his mind right now.
“I’ll just try to answer it the same way I do every time and that’s just that it’s always been a dream of mine, but for now, I’m very content and very happy where I am right now,” he said. “I’m not leaning any way. Whenever that decision comes, [I’ll] have to sit there and evaluate it just like you do anything else in your life.
“If the NFL, you have an opportunity to go, then you look at it. Like I said, I love this place, I love coach Sumlin and all my teammates here. I’m very happy with being in Aggieland for five, six, however many years I’m here. I’m not in any rush to make a decision like that.”
Redshirt sophomores don’t often declare for the draft, and it’s especially rare at the quarterback position. Since 1990, only three third-year sophomore signal callers (Michael Vick, Tommy Maddox and Todd Marinovich) have been drafted in the first round.
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