Just imagine the Texas-sized headlines if Johnny Manziel had been drafted by the Dallas Cowboys.
According to owner Jerry Jones, it nearly happened.
Appearing on the NFL Network on Sunday, Jones said the team seriously considered drafting the Texas native and former Heisman Trophy winner, but eventually selected Notre Dame guard Zack Martin with the 16th overall pick. Manziel was then taken by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick.
“I want you to know that almost as I was handing in the card, it was that close to putting that Manziel card in. It was that close,” Jones said. “I looked over to my son, Stephen, our chief executive officer, and I said, ‘I took the right pick.’ … He was the top player by three players on our board at the time that we were sitting there looking at him.”
If Manziel had been taken by Dallas, he likely would have had to sit behind Tony Romo, who signed a six-year, $108 million extension with the Cowboys before the 2013 season, but the 21-year-old’s talents were nearly too much for Jones to pass up.
“The question was, ‘Could we make it work with Tony Romo during the period of time that we are going to have Tony?’,” Jones said. “And by the way, my expectations are that Tony will be our quarterback several years to come as we move along.
“But Manziel is special. I know him personally. I know that he is going to be a success in the National Football League, and it was a hard decision. And it is one that I will probably have for the rest of my career think about.”