Johnny Manziel to Start For Montreal Alouettes In CFL Regular Season Debut on Friday

Manziel will face his former team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP

Johnny Manziel will make his Canadian Football League regular season debut with the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night, the team announced.

Manziel will face his former team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, as the Alouettes' starting quarterback. The Tiger-Cats traded Manziel to Montreal on July 22, after signing him to a two-year contract in May.

The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner played as backup to Hamilton starter Jeremiah Masoli in both of the team's preseason games. Manziel completed 21 of 31 passes and threw one touchdown, while also rushing for 19 yards.

🚨Confirmed!🚨

Johnny Manziel will be the starting quarterback this Friday, August 3 against the @Ticats. #AlsMTL #ToujoursGame #JohnnyFootball #Number2 pic.twitter.com/Soy42t6IGx

— X - Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) July 31, 2018

Montreal has had a rough start to their season, going 1-5 with four quarterbacks already sidelined with injuries. The Alouettes' offensive line has allowed 23 sacks in six games.

Friday night's game will mark Manziel's first regular season game as a professional football player since December 2015, when he played for the Cleveland Browns.

During his two seasons in the NFL, Manziel appeared in 14 games. He threw 1,675 yards for seven touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Browns cut Manziel in 2016 after two seasons of inconsistent play and off-the-field issues.

In Montreal, Manziel is reunited with coach Mike Sherman, who coached Manziel during his redshirt freshman season at Texas A&M in 2011.