There was some thought that the New Orleans Saints could bring in another of Drew Brees’ old understudies to round out the depth chart behind Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill, but it won’t be Chase Daniel. Daniel signed with the Los Angeles Chargers; ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal runs just one year but with $1.5 million in guarantees, which is good money for a team’s second or third quarterback. The Saints weren’t going to pay that with their complicated salary cap situation.
Daniel has made a nice career for himself in that capacity. He’s traveled around the NFL for a decade as a backup to younger quarterbacks with the Chiefs, Eagles, Bears, and Lions, racking up north of $37.8 million along the way. That’s impressive considering Daniel has attempted fewer than 300 dropbacks to pass in his career (287, to be exact, taking 26 sacks and completing 178 throws). For anyone curious, the math on that comes up to more than $131,000 per dropback, and a staggering $212,000 per pass completion. Daniel’s talents don’t come cheap.
Now he’s reunited with offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, the Saints quarterbacks coach in both of his stints with New Orleans, from 2009 to 2012 and again in 2017. Expect Daniel to push Chargers backup Easton Stick for the right to chew sunflower seeds and buff out thumbprints on Justin Herbert’s tablet on the sidelines. And if Stick holds him off, well, Daniel will seek work while $1.5 million richer.
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