Raiders' Derek Carr on Johnny Manziel chat: Helping a friend out

ByPaul Gutierrez ESPN logo
Thursday, December 15, 2016

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Derek Carr has had a conversation already with draft classmate Johnny Manziel, who is currently out of the NFL, and the Oakland Raiders quarterback described the interaction as two friends connecting.

Carr told MMQB.com over the weekend that he wanted to reach out to the troubled Manziel, and Manziel tweeted Carr that he would take him up on the offer.

"It's been good; he obviously took good to it," Carr said Wednesday. "He reached out, and I reached back out to him. Anything I can do to help him. I think he's extremely talented. People get drafted in the first round for a reason. He can run, throw. He's very a creative, dynamic player. Obviously, he just got in a little trouble and we'll see."

Manziel, a Heisman Trophy winner, was selected No. 22 overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2014 draft, while Carr went to Oakland as the fourth pick of the second round, No. 36 overall. Carr has thrived and evolved into an NFL MVP candidate with the Raiders, but Manziel was cut by the Browns in March and has served a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, which is still under review of the league's domestic violence policy. That violation could lead to a six-game suspension.

"I don't know where it's going to go," Carr said of his renewed relationship with Manziel. "There's no plan or anything like that. That's just me being me. I'm just trying to help a friend out to be honest."

Carr was also asked what advice he'd already imparted on Manziel.

"I'd leave that between us," Carr said. "I wouldn't put anybody else's business out there either. I just keep it between us. Anything I can do to help, I'm here for him."