Johnny Manziel To St. Louis Rams Rumors Cooling Off; Browns Likely To Target?

Mar 26, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher speaks during a press conference at the NFL Annual Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports

Unless you were able to miraculously avoid all forms communication yesterday, you undoubtedly heard rumors connecting the St. Louis Rams and Johnny Manziel. Fans in Rams Nation and even members of the media were entrenched on either side of the debate, attempting to decipher if the “Johnny Ramziel” whispers were smoke or genuine interest from Les Snead and Jeff Fisher. Now, less than 24 hours from the start of Manziel-to-Rams inferno, there appears to be more of a consensus option on the matter.

NFL AM started leaning towards the rumors being “smoke” yesterday evening, with Gregg Rosenthal touching on the topic.

"The Rams’ top power brokers met with Manziel at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, kicking lower level staffers out of the room, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. The Rams worked out Manziel last week. This all feels too choreographed, too public.Instead, plenty of smart analysts and reporters that have spoken with the Rams have come away with the belief that their interest in Manziel was real. By keeping it all off the record, the Rams preserve plausible deniability when it comes to Bradford. (It’s just media speculation! We said we love Bradford the whole time!)The steady, increasing Manziel-Rams connection theoretically raises the value of the No. 2 pick. Any team that wants Manziel would have to hop ahead of QB-needy Jacksonville and Cleveland to ensure it gets Johnny Football."

Indeed, the St. Louis Rams building up interest in Johnny Manziel could certainly force some team *cough Cleveland* to trade up to No.2 to ensure their guy. Better yet, it could even prompt a trade to No.1 overall, bypassing the Rams for Manziel, and subsequently dropping Jadeveon Clowney directly into the lap of Les Snead and Jeff Fisher.

As the smoke begins to settle on the Manziel to Rams fire, the flame is just igniting on the Manziel to Browns storyline, which is certainly more plausible given their current situation at the quarterback position. While the new “consensus” opinion among well-connected individuals may be “smoke,” there is no telling what is lurking in the back of the minds of Jeff Fisher and Les Snead. One things we can all agree on: Thursday cannot get here quickly enough!