TMZ Sports has confirmed -- the league will make the news official on Tuesday ... which means guys like Johnny Manziel, Trent Richardson and Aaron Murray could be looking for work once again.

There were reports over the past few weeks that the AAF could fold, with owner Tom Dundon threatening to pull the plug if they couldn't make a deal with the NFL Players Association to get younger players to his league.

There was much debate about whether making a deal like that would create bigger issues for the NFL ... but it's clear Dundon didn't care.

Sources tell us people around the league are shocked and disappointed ... and the cofounders of the AAF do NOT support the decision -- but as a majority owner, what Dundon says goes.

Johnny's time in the league was SUPER brief ... like, if you blinked, you coulda missed it. He looked solid in his debut less than 2 weeks ago ... and was injured in the second game.

Johnny tweeted shortly after he got the news, saying, "If you’re an AAF player and the league does dissolve. The last check you got will be the last one that you get. No lawsuit or anything else will get you your bread. Save your money and keep your head up. It’s the only choice at this point unless something drastic happens."

He added, "Just the reality of this unfortunate situation.. great concept, good football on the field and fun for fans to watch. Just not enough money to go around which has been the main problem with “other” leagues for a long time."

The league seemed promising -- they were able to sign coaches like Mike Singletary, Steve Spurrier and Mike Martz.