Chase Daniel is re-signing with one of his former teams - not the Philadelphia Eagles, though. The free agent veteran quarterback held out throughout much of free agency, hoping an opportunity to start in the NFL would come along. Almost a month after the period kicked off, however, he was still without a job, leading him to the New Orleans Saints.
A new team
On Wednesday, Daniel signed a one-year deal with the Saints, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan. He could either serve as the immediate backup to legendary quarterback Drew Brees or even the third-stringer, with veteran Luke McCown currently remaining on the roster.
Both of the quarterbacks potentially ahead of him on the depth chart are entering the final year of their contract, though, so he may still have an opportunity he missed in Philadelphia.
Of course, Daniel has some longstanding familiarity with the Saints. He joined the team's practice squad during his rookie season in 2009 after being cut by the Washington Redskins. He ended up playing with the team for four seasons behind Brady, but never really saw the field. He attempted just nine passes, completing seven of them for 55 yards without registering a touchdown or interception.
Leaving the old team
Daniel had no choice but to ask for his departure from the Eagles. Following the trade of Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings before the start of the last season, it seemed like he would step into the starter's role.
Instead, the job went to rookie Carson Wentz, and after some early flashes, he showed no signs of relinquishing his new role.
Things further deteriorated this offseason, when the Eagles decided to sign Nick Foles to be the new backup quarterback, despite the presence of Daniel on the roster. With his hand forced, the career-long backup had no choice but to ask for his release from the team, which was granted considering the large contract they had signed him to previously and wished to be freed from. His chance to be a starter never transpired in free agency, however, leaving him in a worse position than before.
