“Johnny Football” has been tossed aside.

Quarterback Johnny Manziel, the scrambling, Heisman Trophy-winning college star who hasn't come close to matching his hype in the NFL, was released Friday by the Cleveland Browns after two turbulent and troubling seasons.

Manziel's unceremonious exit — the team sent out a brief statement with a few stats and no comment — ends a drama-filled stay in Cleveland for the 23-year-old, who faces an uncertain future on and off the field. For the first time since he started throwing a football as a kid in Texas, Manziel isn't wanted as a player and he faces possible criminal charges in a recent incident in which his ex-girlfriend alleged he struck and threatened to kill her.

The Browns drafted Manziel in the first round in 2014, hoping he could be their long-term solution at quarterback and revive the franchise.

Instead, he was a two-year headache that wouldn't go away. Cleveland couldn't handle any more lies, parties or distractions.

Manziel entered the NFL amid fanfare and with a party-boy reputation, which only grew amid near-constant exposure on social media. Hardly a week passed without there being a photo or video of Manziel, usually with a drink in his hand, out having a good time.

Manziel hasn't developed the work ethic needed to succeed, and he wound up spending more than 10 weeks after his rookie season in a Pennsylvania rehab facility specializing in alcohol and drug abuse.

Broncos trade for Sanchez:Mark Sanchez is getting a change of scenery and a new job description: replacing Peyton Manning.

Instead of being buried deep on the Philadelphia Eagles depth chart, the veteran quarterback has a chance to lead the Denver Broncos' defense of their Super Bowl title.

The Broncos acquired the seven-year veteran from the Eagles on Friday, a move Denver general manager John Elway calls the first step toward replacing Manning.

The Super Bowl champions were left without an experienced quarterback this week when five-time Most Valuable Player Manning retired and backup Brock Osweiler signed with Houston as a free agent. So they turned to Sanchez, who was acquired for a conditional 2017 draft pick.

“He brings veteran leadership & will compete,” Elway tweeted. “This is the 1st step in our process.”

Sanchez, 29, spent his first five NFL seasons with the Jets, helping them to the AFC championship game in his first two years. But the fifth overall pick in the 2009 draft lost his job in New York and spent the past two seasons with the Eagles, starting 10 games and going 4-6 filling in for Nick Foles and Sam Bradford.

RG III in NYC? Free-agent quarterback Robert Griffin III was visiting with the New York Jets on Friday, two people familiar with the situation told the Associated Press.

Griffin was cut by the Washington Redskins on Monday, ending a tumultuous tenure in which the No.?2 overall draft pick immediately became an NFL star in 2012 before his career spiraled and he spent all last season on the sideline because of injuries and inconsistency.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the team does not announce player visits.

Griffin's visit was first reported by ESPN.