Johnny Manziel announced over the weekend that he will sign a two-year deal with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats. This is part of Manziel's plan to get back to the NFL, where he was the Browns' 2014 first-round pick but washed out of the league after two seasons.

Earlier this spring, Manziel took part in the Spring League, a four-team developmental league that played two games over five days. The former Heisman Trophy winner showed glimpses of the form that made him one of the most exciting players in college football.

Prior to the Spring League, at least 13 NFL teams watched Manziel take part in pro days at the University of San Diego and Texas A&M. But an NFL offer never came and the quarterback signed with the Tiger-Cats.

"I think it was close," Manziel told PFT Live about an NFL team taking a chance on him. "I did reach out and talk to multiple teams and coaches I had met in my first couple years in the league."

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And while Manziel could have waited to see if there was renewed NFL interest, he decided the sooner he could return to the field the better it would be for his career.

"It was really the wait," he explained. "I didn't want to get into something down the road where I'm waiting until August, waiting until training camps open, and then if something doesn't transpire I'm getting here late."

Manziel heads to Hamilton, where he'll be guaranteed nothing.

"Let me tell you something right now, he's got his work ahead of him to beat out Jeremiah [Masoli]," Tiger-Cats coach June Jones said of Manziel, via the National Post. "... [Manziel's] got a lot to catch up on, but he'll spend the time to get that done. I know he will because he's already learned that lesson."

Manziel has made it clear in recent months that he's matured during his absence from the game.

"The message that I'm sending is showing up every day and going to meetings," he told reporters after his first Spring League game. "Being engaged in everything that is going on during practice and in the game. I can't control what is going on [with NFL teams' interest] and I don't know what's going on in NFL meetings. If that's the case, if the NFL is something that pops up, cool. If not, I'm going to work until I get back there. We'll see how things play out."

For now, Manziel's journey takes him to Canada. And his two-year contract means his next shot at returning to the NFL won't come until 2020.