Dec 28, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel (10) drops back to pass against the San Diego Chargers in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
Chase Daniel is probably done in Kansas City.
At a $4.8 million cap hit, Daniel is the 10th most expensive player on the team against the cap. While he’s valuable as a backup, having your 10th highest paid player as a backup quarterback is generally not a recipe for a Super Bowl contending roster.
The quarterback situation is much better than it was when Dorsey took over at the end of 2012. Between Alex Smith, Daniel, Aaron Murray, and Tyler Bray, the Chiefs have some reasonable pieces to work with. Murray and Bray are future backups at a fraction of the cost of Daniel, and while neither are quite as good as Daniel yet, the cap space is more valuable to the Chiefs than having a marginally better second-string quarterback.
Truth is if Kansas City has to count on Daniel, Murray, or Bray quarterback for six or more games next season then the season is doomed. There’s still some work the Chiefs can do to improve at quarterback without having to pay premium dollars to their backup.
And what’s more valuable to the Chiefs at this point: Chase Daniel or a starting inside linebacker? Daniel or an upgrade at wide receiver? Daniel or a defensive lineman who can stop the run? Daniel or another cornerback to play opposite of Sean Smith? Daniel or a left guard who can actually block someone? Right now the $4.8 million in cap space Daniel is eating up is preventing those upgrades from happening.
Releasing Daniel would save $3.8 million in cap space ($1 million in dead money) and would be added to the savings from cutting Bowe, Avery, and Jenkins. This would bring the Chiefs’ total cap savings up to:
$19,687,390