Everything is coming up Cleveland these days: the Cavaliers won the NBA title, the Indians are crushing a 12-game winning streak and Johnny Manziel got suspended four games by the NFL.
Yes, one of these is not like the other, but the third one -- Manziel being suspended -- is good news for the Browns, who will save a good bit of money as a result of the suspension.
As noted by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the Browns are on the hook for Manziel's guaranteed 2016 salary of $1.169 million and also $1.004 million fully guaranteed for 2017. (Manziel received a four-year, fully-guaranteed deal from the Browns as a first-round pick in 2014.)
However, the contract "contemplates the voiding of the guarantees for a variety of reasons," including a suspension by the NFL.
So it's entirely possible the Browns could avoid having to pay Manziel his salary for the next two years.
It could be tricky, however, given the Browns cut Manziel (and thus guaranteeing his salary) before he was actually suspended. Therefore, when the suspension was handed down, Manziel was not a member of the Browns.
Lawyers are in charge of fighting these things out, and lawyers cost lots of money.
The Browns have plenty of cash to scrape over $2 million, but it's possible that Manziel, having outlaid lots of money on plane trips to Cabo, luxury mansions, high-rise pools with which to taunt his father and, of course, the ever-so-pricey Josh Gordon jersey, well, he might not be sitting on a ton of money.
Particularly if all the guaranteed cash he thought he would be getting is suddenly dried up.