PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles' signing of free-agent quarterback Chase Daniel was the team’s least-discussed move of the 2016 offseason.
That’s easy to understand. The Eagles also signed 2015 starter Sam Bradford to a new two-year deal and then executed three trades to move up and draft Carson Wentz with the No. 2 pick in the NFL draft. Those moves, which led to Bradford’s two-week absence from voluntary workouts, generated plenty of interest.
But Daniel? Not so much. This week, though, Pro Football Focus included the Daniel signing on its list of the NFL’s 10 worst offseason moves. Analyst Sam Monson had the Daniel signing at No. 9 on his list.
“The quarterback market is a wildly overinflated place,” Monson wrote, “but even in that context, the money the Eagles handed Chase Daniel is vaguely absurd. Daniel now has the 24th-highest contract among quarterbacks in terms of average per-season money, and the 26th-highest total contract value at the position. He has a contract worth more than several starters, and he is a No. 3 quarterback on this Eagles’ roster.”
Money is a legitimate issue here. The Eagles signed Daniel for $21 million over three years, including $12 million guaranteed. That seemed like a lot when Daniel signed to be Bradford’s backup. It seemed really high when the Eagles acquired Wentz.
One quibble: Daniel is the No. 2 quarterback on the Eagles’ current depth chart. And when Bradford is your starter, you have to figure that your No. 2 quarterback is going to play at some point.
“Even if you assume the deal was handed to him with a view that he will be No. 2 in a year’s time when Sam Bradford departs and Carson Wentz is starting, that means Daniel will receive $7 million this season just as a placeholder, and then be the best-paid backup in football for the next year or two of the deal,” Monson wrote.
“It isn’t for nearly as much money, but this contract is the Ndamukong Suh version of backup quarterback contracts—one that doesn’t set the market, but instead jumps it completely and becomes a stark outlier.”
It’s hard to argue there. Bradford is getting what a good starting quarterback gets in 2016. He may not have established himself as a good starting quarterback at this point, but that’s a reasonable contract. Wentz is getting what the second pick in the draft gets, a total the Eagles knew they would be paying.
Daniel’s deal does seem a little on the generous side. He signed quickly with the Eagles when free agency opened, so there is little evidence that the Eagles were competing with anyone for him. The hunch here is simply that coach Doug Pederson was taking care of a guy he likes and respects. The Eagles paid Daniel based on the coach’s wishes more so than any market forces.
Remember, Pederson’s overall approach here is based on what Andy Reid did in 1999. Reid and the Eagles signed Pederson, who had been with Reid in Green Bay, to a three-year contract worth $4.5 million, including $3 million in the first year. That was a pretty generous deal at that time, especially since Pederson was gone before the 2000 season.
Ultimately, the Daniel deal will be a mistake if he never plays and if he doesn’t help Bradford and Wentz learn Pederson’s offense. That coaching role is a big part of what Pederson was looking for, and Bradford and Wentz both said this week that Daniel is following through.
If Daniel has to play a few games because of injury, and if his presence in the meeting room helps Wentz reach his potential, then the Daniel contract will be money well spent.