Johnny Manziel traded by CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats to Montreal Alouettes

Johnny Manziel has been traded by the Canadian Football League's Hamilton Tiger-Cats to the Montreal Alouettes.

The Tiger-Cats and Alouettes announced Sunday the multi-player deal that included the 2012 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback.

Stuck behind incumbent quarterback Jeremiah Masoli on the Tiger-Cats' depth chart, Manziel was relegated to backup duty in his first season in the CFL. In Montreal, however, Manziel will be reunited with coach Mike Sherman, whose final season at Texas A&M was also Manziel's redshirt season in 2011. Sherman is in his first season with the Alouettes.

The Alouettes are off to a 1-4 start this season and have scored the fewest number of points (69) while allowing a league-high 148 points.

The other quarterbacks on the Alouettes' roster include Vernon Adams Jr., Drew Willy, Jeff Mathews and Matthew Shiltz.  Adams was recently signed by the Alouettes. Adams — who played collegiately at Oregon and Eastern Washington — started his CFL career in Montreal before joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017. Willy was forced to leave the Alouettes' latest game — a 25-8 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday — with a hand injury. Mathews is out with a foot injury. Shiltz, the third-string QB, Shiltz played the final three quarters against the Stampeders. 

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Montreal acquired Manziel and offensive linemen Tony Washington and Landon Rice from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for defensive end Jamaal Westerman, wide receiver Chris Williams and first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021.

"This is a move both (Alouettes GM) Kavis Reed and I felt we needed to make at this time," Sherman said. "Neither one of us believes in the status quo and felt we needed to shake things up. Johnny is someone we believe can elevate one of the most important positions on our team."

Manziel is trying to resurrect his professional football career in the CFL after more than two years away from the game. After a decorated career at Texas A&M, Manziel was a first-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2014. During two seasons in Cleveland, Manziel started eight games, but off-the-field issues, including substance abuse and a domestic-violence case, led to his release. 

Contributing: Associated Press.

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.