10 NFL Teams That Must Consider Trading for Kansas City Chiefs QB Chase Daniel
Chase Daniel had an illustrious career at the University of Missouri, where he earned or was nominated for several awards from 2006 to 2008 and was a two-time Heisman Trophy candidate. Daniel led the Missouri Tigers to a 30-11 record through three seasons, despite falling short of being drafted.
After a brief stint with the Washington Redskins and serving as a four-year backup with the New Orleans Saints, Daniel came to Kansas City, where he has had a couple of opportunities to prove himself as a starter.
In Week 17 of the 2013 season, with all 22 starters on the bench since the Chiefs would maintain a No. 5 seed regardless of the result, Daniel was forced to work with a second-string offense against a San Diego Chargers team that was desperate for a win in order to make the playoffs. Daniel went 21-of-30 for 200 yards, one touchdown and a quarterback passer rating of 99.3.
One year later, Daniel had to fill in for an injured Alex Smith against the same team as both franchises were fighting for a wild-card spot. The biggest difference was that Daniel had the first-team offense to play with this time.
He went 16-of-27 for 157 yards and no scores or interceptions with a 75.7 quarterback passer rating, outperforming Philip Rivers in the head-to-head battle. Even with the lack of productivity from his wide receivers, Daniel still moved the offense and led the Chiefs to a win, preventing the Chargers from making the playoffs.
Although it is a small sample size, Daniel showed aggressiveness and the ability to lead a team during a crucial time in Week 17 when the Chargers were in need of a win to clinch the playoffs both times. He has yet to prove he is a week-to-week starter, but he deserves a chance to compete for a starting spot on another team.
According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, the Chiefs have just $400,000 of cap room for 2015, while Daniel is set to make $3.75 million this upcoming season. The Chiefs can use Daniel as trade bait to free up some cap space, which would also give him a chance to start elsewhere, as well as give another team an opportunity to improve its quarterback play.
In this slideshow, we go over the 10 NFL teams that must consider negotiating with the Kansas City Chiefs in order to acquire Daniel this offseason.
Buffalo Bills
1 of 10
Sitting with a 2-2 record early in the season, then-Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone benched EJ Manuel for journeyman Kyle Orton. Now, Orton has gone back to retirement, and the Bills are back to square one with Manuel. Given that he missed five weeks as a rookie and was benched for Orton last year, there can't be a lot of confidence with the idea of him being the starter.
With Marrone out, the upcoming head coach of the Bills will likely want to bring in a new quarterback.
Daniel would have a solid core of players around him in Buffalo with wide receivers Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods, tight end Scott Chandler and running back Fred Jackson, who are all under contract for 2015.
New York Jets
2 of 10
The New York Jets recently parted ways with general manager John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan. A new regime is set to arrive in New York, which usually means a new quarterback.
With Mike Vick's contract up, would it be wise for the Jets to give Daniel a shot?
It is uncertain how the new regime will handle Geno Smith and what role it might give him. If Smith gets one more chance as a starter, it would be smart to have Daniel as a backup in case Smith continues to struggle.
Although Daniel would have a legitimate shot at starting over Smith, he would have limited talent around him; therefore, the new general manager must work on improving the roster.
Chicago Bears
3 of 10
The Chicago Bears are in need of a new quarterback. With Marc Trestman out in Chicago, Jay Cutler could be replaced as the starting quarterback.
While in Kansas City, Daniel proved himself with second-string players in Week 17 of 2013 and with limited talent in the final game in 2014. Imagine what he could do with Chicago's talent.
Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Martellus Bennett and Matt Forte are all effective pass-catchers. If the Bears have a reliable quarterback, then the offense would excel. With Daniel under center in Chicago, there will be some reasonably high expectations, and Chicago could contend for the NFC North.
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Washington Redskins
4 of 10
Whether it is Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins or Colt McCoy, the Washington Redskins saw limited success. Why not bring back Daniel in order to adjust the woes at quarterback?
Daniel went undrafted in 2009 coming out of Missouri before signing with the Washington Redskins, but the team cut him after his first preseason.
With the Redskins in desperate need of a quarterback to help them move in the right direction, it wouldn't hurt to bring back Daniel as the starting quarterback. There is no doubt that this time Daniel would make the 53-man roster and have a serious shot at starting.
St. Louis Rams
5 of 10
Sam Bradford has the ability to be a high-level quarterback, but injuries have derailed his career. After dealing with some injuries at Oklahoma prior to being drafted No. 1 overall in 2010, Bradford suffered injuries in 2011, 2013 and 2014.
He has played in 49 games and has missed 31 due to several injuries in his five years with the Rams.
Bradford will likely enter the 2015 season as the starter. However, if he goes down again, Daniel would be a better insurance policy than Austin Davis and Shaun Hill.
Tennessee Titans
6 of 10
Charlie Whitehurst, Zach Mettenberger and Jake Locker—it was not a good year for the Tennessee Titans under center. Whitehurst had an 87.4 quarterback passer rating, the highest on the team this year. But he also had the lowest completion percentage.
With Locker set to be a free agent this March, the Titans need to invest in a new and better option at quarterback.
A trade with the Kansas City Chiefs would be beneficial, as it could improve the Titans at quarterback and give them a chance to get better offensively.
Philadelphia Eagles
7 of 10
The Philadelphia Eagles had plenty of talent on offense. They had LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles in the backfield, and Jeremy Maclin and Jordan Matthews served as primary targets through the air.
But inconsistency at quarterback held the Eagles from reaching their ceiling. If Chip Kelly believes that Daniel could provide consistency under center, the team must make a move and acquire him.
If Daniel joins, it could even influence Maclin to return and play with his former Missouri Tigers teammate.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8 of 10
After throwing just one interception in eight games for the Chicago Bears, Josh McCown threw 14 as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his first year. While head coach Lovie Smith is familiar with McCown, it may be time to consider a backup if McCown struggles again.
If Daniel is the backup for the Buccaneers and the offense goes through more issues under center, it would be the perfect time to let him take over and operate Tampa Bay's offense.
The Buccaneers had two players (Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson) log 1,000 receiving yards, which is uncharacteristic for a bad football team. Daniel could enter the situation with key players and make an impact right away.
Cleveland Browns
9 of 10
Another quarterback to Cleveland? The franchise has taken plenty of risks over the years with myriad quarterbacks, so one more wouldn't hurt. With Brian Hoyer's contract up and Johnny Manziel off to a rough start, there is a lot of uncertainty about the position in Cleveland.
The Browns were once 7-4, sitting atop the AFC North and threatening to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 season, but they dropped their last five games.
Cleveland proved it is capable of competing and needs to be consistent in order to finish strong. Could Daniel be that guy to help the Browns stay consistent? If they want a viable backup who might have a chance at playing right away if things go south with Manziel, then they should negotiate a trade with the Chiefs.
New Orleans Saints
10 of 10
The New Orleans Saints are the most surprising team on this list, but this scenario could be a possibility if all parties are open to the idea.
Drew Brees has had a successful nine-year run with the New Orleans Saints. Brees, who has two years left on his contract, will turn 36 later this month.
After being cut by the Redskins, Daniel was picked up by the Saints and spent the first four years of his career there. He has proved himself the past couple of years and has familiarity with the offense.
Pete Carmichael became the offensive coordinator of the Saints the same year Daniel joined the team and still has that duty in New Orleans.
It would be an easy fit, given Daniel's knowledge of the Saints offense.
Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com and contract information courtesy of Spotrac.com.
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