Since the New England Patriots decided to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers prior to last season's NFL trade deadline, it has shifted the attention toward the team's future at the quarterback after Tom Brady.

In that process, there had been some inklings that the Patriots had some interest in potentially signing former Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel to a deal this offseason. However, Mike Reiss of ESPN is reporting that this possibility has been put out of the picture after the team elected to take LSU's Danny Etling in the seventh round of this year's NFL Draft.

“A trickle-down effect of the Patriots drafting LSU’s Danny Etling in the seventh round is that I believe it effectively ends the team’s exploration into Johnny Manziel. In recent months, it’s safe to say the team did its due diligence on Manziel, at one point even considering an additional meeting and/or workout with him outside of the University of San Diego pro day that he had participated in (with a Patriots scout among those in attendance) before plans changed.”

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There was some serious interest on behalf of the Patriots, but that didn't overrule the team's decision to take some young talent in this year's draft instead. There also doesn't appear to be any rush or concern about finding the eventual replacement for Brady as his commitment to play multiple more years has remained firm once against this offseason.

Meanwhile, it shuts the door on one possible landing spot for Manziel this summer as there have been reports of some teams keeping an eye on him as a potential addition. He has appeared to turn his life around away from the game over the last several months with a strict regimen that is focused on treating his bipolar disorder while concentrating on getting his football career back on track.

This may have ended one opportunity for Manziel, but there could be several more that could arise if he stays on the same trajectory and proves he has changed. With much of the offseason still ahead, a lot could change on this front before the start of the 2018 campaign.