KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs have never had a quarterback to win all of his starts for them. If not for a failed field goal attempt in a 2013 game against the San Diego Chargers, that could have been Chase Daniel’s legacy.
Daniel appears set to leave the Chiefs after three seasons as their backup quarterback to join head coach Doug Pederson and the Philadelphia Eagles. Daniel tweeted a farewell to the Chiefs and their fans.
Thank you Kansas City... pic.twitter.com/KfPFWTRk49
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) March 9, 2016
It was time for both parties to move on. Daniel will be a backup in Philadelphia to Sam Bradford, but he is reunited with Pederson, his offensive coordinator in Kansas City. The Chiefs signed Tyler Bray in 2013 and drafted Aaron Murray a year later and one of the two should be capable of being the primary backup to Alex Smith next season.
Daniel started only two games for the Chiefs, both in the final game of a regular season. Playing in place of the injured Smith, Daniel helped the Chiefs to a 19-7 win over the Chargers in 2014 at Arrowhead Stadium, a result that could have put Kansas City in the playoffs, but didn’t.
A year earlier, Daniel also started against the Chargers, this time in San Diego. The Chiefs had already clinched their wild-card playoff spot, so they rested Smith and some other regulars.
Playing with several other backups, Daniel almost led the Chiefs to a victory. They would have had one, but Ryan Succop missed a 41-yard field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. The Chargers went on to win 27-24 in overtime.
That result ruined Daniel’s shot at a perfect record with the Chiefs. It also leaves Eddie Wilson as the only undefeated starting quarterback in franchise history. Wilson and the Chiefs tied the Boston Patriots 24-24 in 1963 in his only start for Kansas City at quarterback.