Chase Daniel trade talk: What’s it mean?

It’s inevitable that whenever you have a backup perform well, but clearly won’t be the starter, then fans and media will start talking about trade possibilities.  For the Kansas City Chiefs, that’s what happened shortly after Chase Daniel came in at quarterback and put on a masterful performance in the preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals.  He has since followed that performance up with another solid outing against the Seahawks.

Chase Daniel’s preseason performance should be enough to draw the attention of multiple NFL teams. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

That has led to the trade talk picking up some national steam after CBS insider Jason La Canfora mentioned the Chiefs likelihood of making a trade in his recent “Inside Football” article.  While talking about the pieces that general manager John Dorsey could use in a trade, La Canfora made not of the “plenty of intriguing candidates at quarterback”.  That certainly opens the door for us to have this discussion.

First thing is first, I have never really bought into the hype that a lot of fans have for Daniel.  I haven’t seen nearly enough from him to think he’s anything more than a guy on the roster until we find someone better.  In all honesty, his performance against the Cardinals backups didn’t really change that.  So if you’re asking me whether I would be opposed to the Chiefs trading Chase Daniel in general, the answer is a pretty easy “no”.

However, there are two things that make me a little hesitant given the Chiefs current situation.  The first is the injury history of Alex Smith.  Yes, he’s been pretty healthy with the Chiefs so far, but his history remains concerning.  Especially if the offensive line doesn’t step up from last year.

The second thing is who would be stepping in for Smith if he went down.  You can spew all the homerific tangents you want about Aaron Murray or Tyler Bray…neither one of them have shown a single thing in the NFL.  Not one thing that should have anyone believing they’re quality NFL players.  In fact, the simple presence of Daniel on this roster remains proof that neither of those two have done anything worthwhile yet.  So, if the Chiefs were to trade Daniel, those would be the two major concerns that I have.

But, should the Chiefs either not share in those concerns, or simply believe that they are risks worth taking, then it’s time to figure out what exactly our front office should be looking for in a trade…

“plenty of intriguing candidates at quarterback” ~ Jason La Canfora on Chiefs trade pieces

Draft Picks: Any team that wants to offer us something to help invest in the future should be taken seriously.  Chase Daniel is a free agent after the 2015 season, and it would be hard to justify continuing to pay him at his current rate or higher.

Now, the thing here is to keep everything in perspective.  I don’t care what team is calling with what quarterback situation, the Chiefs are not getting anything higher than a fifth-round pick for a backup quarterback in the final year of his contract.  And to be honest, a fifth-round pick might even be pushing it.  There are very few teams that will look at Daniel as a starter based on his very limited resume.  In fact, only the Jets come to mind, and that’s a temporary situation.  The rest of the league will look at him solely as a backup with potential.

So when it comes to getting a draft pick, the Chiefs could reasonably expect just about any team to offer up a sixth or seventh-round pick, while more desperate teams could be fleeced for a fifth.  So I would say that probably about 25 of the league’s 32 teams should be interested.  There aren’t many teams that are ever truly confident in their backups.

Next: Who is shopping for a QB?