Lawyer: Manziel to prep for '16; source says QB knows '17 more feasible

Johnny Manziel is holding out hope for a return to football in 2016, but one source close to him says he recognizes that window might be closing, making a possible 2017 comeback attempt more feasible.

"His immediate plans are to start getting ready for football," said Manziel's attorney Jim Darnell. "We're working on it."

Since being released by the Browns in March, Manziel has been charged with misdemeanor assault charge for allegedly rupturing the eardrum of ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley in a January dispute, sued over a trashed rental home and dropped by two agents, Erik Burkhardt and Drew Rosenhaus.

An NFL team giving Manziel a chance in a 2016 training camp appears slim, and Manziel would be subject to the league's personal conduct policy upon return. The league is investigating Manziel's assault charge.

One family friend said the parents of Manziel, who in early 2015 spent 10 weeks in Caron Treatment Center in Eastern Pennsylvania, are "just sick" over their son's struggles. "This is a crisis," the friend said. "I hope someone kicks the s--- out of the kid and forces him to get right."

The man who drafted Manziel, former Browns general manager Ray Farmer, said the quarterback's immediate future is "tenuous."

"I'm concerned for the person more than I am the player," Farmer said. "I do hope Johnny finds the help he needs to put himself back together."

Manziel has a June 24 status hearing for the assault charge. His attorney said Manziel, who doesn't have to attend the hearing, will plead not guilty.