Chase Daniel won't be in Philadelphia for much longer. The quarterback signed a big deal to be the backup quarterback for the Eagles last season, but wasn't picked for the starting role when incumbent Sam Bradford was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Now, the team has brought on yet another quarterback, forcing their current backup's hand in terms of his NFL future.
Moving out
Daniel reportedly asked out of his contract after the team signed backup (and former starting) quarterback Nick Foles on Monday morning. According to ESPN, the Eagles are expected to grant Daniel his request.
Initially, the team had designs on trading him to a quarterback-needy team, but with rumblings continuing for quarterbacks in the free agent market, it appears the team wasn't getting many eager negotiators.
Last offseason, Daniel signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Eagles, one of the biggest contracts given to a backup quarterback. He would cost $8 million against the cap if he remained on the roster, while cutting him would create $7 million in dead money. Compared to the two-year, $11 million deal Foles is getting, the team is clearly admitting to a mistake they made last spring.
Career backup
Since joining the NFL in 2009, Daniel has been heralded as a quarterback with some real ability, but has failed to translate that into actual playing time.
He has become a backup journeyman, making just two starts over the course of his career. Things had the potential to be different in Philadelphia when Bradford was traded, but the writing was on the wall when the team gave the starting job to rookie Carson Wentz instead.
Ironically enough, a release from the Eagles may actually give Daniel is one chance to be a starter in the NFL.
There are certainly teams looking for backup quarterbacks right now, but there are teams looking for starters, too. The New York Jets are likely to sign Jay Cutler, but haven't done so yet. Meanwhile, there is bound to be a loser in the Tony Romo sweepstakes who will be forced to look in another direction for their next quarterback.
