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The Detroit Lions signed Chase Daniel to be their backup quarterback this offseason, and paid him significantly more money than the recently signed Cam Newton.
In the aftermath of Newton’s smaller deal with the New England Patriots to enter their quarterback competition, folks are once again pointing out how much Daniel will get paid once again to play likely a very small role on his team. As Adam Lefkoe remarked, Newton as well as Jameis Winston are both making less money in 2020 than Daniel is with the Lions.
Just how much has Daniel made through the years? It’s an insane amount given the limited run he’s seen during his time as a quarterback.
As many others pointed out as well, it’s not Daniel who should be blamed, but rather, his agent who should be credited as it relates to getting him the deals and finding teams to sign him.
From the Detroit perspective, the Daniel shade doesn’t mean too much. It’s not likely signing Newton to be Matthew Stafford’s backup was in the plans or would have been a good idea, and it’s probably not something Newton would have gone for either given he probably wanted to compete for a starting role. If Daniel has to play a big role for the Lions this year and is able to steady the ship, it will be money well spent for the team. It’s also a situation the Lions would probably prefer not to see.
The reason why Newton remained unsigned for so long is a question better suited for teams with unsettled quarterback situations. In Detroit, the Lions are hoping for a healthy year from Stafford, their primary starter. Signing Winston may have made more sense than Newton for the team, but it’s possible the Lions were more interested in Daniel given his fit within their scheme.
In the aftermath their disaster in 2019, the Lions paid up to get an established backup like Daniel who plays the role they need. All kidding aside, it makes sense for the team.
Lions Backup Quarterback Situation Better With Chase Daniel
This offseason, the Lions added Daniel to the mix, and those who rank backup quarterback situations across the league have taken notice. Detroit used to occupy a low position in years past, but the addition of Daniel has given them the added security of moving up to a middle of the pack backup situation in the league.
USA Today writer Nate Davis ranked every backup situation 1-32 in football, and the Lions were no longer in the complete basement. They placed a respectable 20th, thanks mostly to the fact they paid Daniel to come into the mix and support Stafford. 20th position might not sound like much, but it’s fair to remember the Lions were near the league’s bottom for the last handful of seasons.
Davis wrote:
“Chase Daniel has made a ridiculous amount of money considering he’s started five NFL games in a decade. Still, this team needed a better contingency plan after finishing 0-8 last season without Matthew Stafford.”
If Daniel isn’t enough of a plan, the Lions have David Blough as their third stringer. Blough was thrust into a tough position late last year and performed remarkably well. It’s possible the Lions could view him as their backup of the future, even if they weren’t willing to commit to him being the only guy during an important 2020 season.
Regardless, the Lions have a few players behind Stafford that are capable of playing major snaps and have done so before. That’s good security for 2020, even if the hope is they never need to use it.
Chase Daniel Wants Lions Taking Next Step
Recently, Daniel joined the Pat McAfee Show to talk about why he picked the Lions, and in the end, he said it came down to a feeling of excitement about what the team could be and what they could become after watching things up close the last few seasons. That made it easy to answer Detroit’s call when it came in, and it became clear the team was just as interested in him.
“I was excited about Detroit because I saw sort of what they could be and I’ve seen offensively and defensively what they’re made of and I love it. They came after me hard from the get-go,” Daniel told McAfee. “It’s always good going into your 12th year in the league to be wanted. I felt like for the most part, they were on me from the get-go. They got a great nucleus of guys and I think they’re trying to make that next step. It’s a tough division and I’m excited to be there.”
Daniel explained that he knows Stafford going way back to his days growing up in Texas and competing against the quarterback on the baseball diamond. All of that experience should help the team moving forward, and Daniel is looking to a solid working relationship with his new teammate.
“My familiarity with him is very good, and I think we’ve known each other for a long time so we work well together. That’s sort of what I was looking for in this next team as in Detroit,” he said. “Sort of like a peer to peer type relationship rather than a mentor to rookie type guy. That’s what I’m most looking forward to. He’s been in the league as long as I have. First round pick, you saw him slinging the rock when he played. That offense was rolling.”
For Daniel to sign with the team, he also had to like the fit within the offense and that’s something he thinks will be huge for him joining Darrell Bevell, a coordinator that has similar concepts he is familiar with given the offenses he’s already been in.
“The familiarity of the offense is point on. I’m already 70 percent familiar with it, so that’s a good thing,” he said.
A comfortable relationship and a solid environment helped Daniel land with the Lions, and now he hopes to do whatever he can to help them discover some success in ways Daniel has seen but the team hasn’t.
Chase Daniel’s Career Statistics
After playing college football at Missouri, Daniel came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2009. His first stop was with the Washington Redskins, and from there, he moved onto the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. In his career, the 33 year old Daniel has put up 7 touchdowns, 1,430 yards and made a total of 5 career starts. He’s been more known as a backup than anything else.
With the Bears, Daniel has made his biggest impact. He beat the Lions on Thanksgiving Day in 2018 when Mitch Trubisky couldn’t play, and seemingly, that’s just the type of game the Lions could ask him to win in the absence of their quarterback moving forward.
With that comfortable fit, the Lions should have the backup position established into the future in a big way. No matter how much he is mocked for his contracts, Daniel will remain a key part of the Lions in 2020.
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