Johnny Manziel NEVER really wanted to play in Canada ... and might've purposely violated the terms of his contract to force his way out of the CFL -- so says Warren Moon.
"Maybe he did that on purpose," the Hall of Fame QB tells TMZ Sports ... "Because now there's other options out there."
Of course, Johnny was banned from the CFL on Wednesday after the league announced he failed to live up to the terms of his contract -- which required, among other stipulations, mandatory doctor and therapist visits.
For his part, Manziel didn't deny the claims, saying, "I want to thank Coach Sherman, my teammates, and the CFL fans. My time there reestablished my love for the game of football and the work that goes into it."
Now ... Moon is suggesting it was all part of a bigger plan to get Johnny back playing ball in America for either the newly formed AAF or the upcoming XFL.
"There's more opportunities for him to play in the United States than play in Canada, so maybe that's part of the reason why he violated some of those restrictions in his contract."
Manziel reportedly had minor talks with the AAF ... but the San Antonio Commanders will get the first crack at signing the former Heisman Trophy winner when those talks progress.
Moon tells us if Manziel eventually will end up there and ball out ... he can see a scenario where the former first-round pick gets another NFL deal.