Detroit Lions may not have finished changing defenders in this off-season. Although the Matthew Stafford deal has not yet become official, the Lions have also discussed sending Chase Daniel in reserve in a deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Daniel signed a three-year, $ 13.05 million contract with Detroit last year to back up the team behind Stafford. He made four games in 2020, with his most notable performance in Week 16 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, after Stafford suffered an injury on entering the game. In that game, Daniel made 13 from 18 to 86 yards.
Daniel is considered a solid resource in the quarterback room as a 12-year-old veteran, something Lions may need if they decide to take a quarterback in the April draft. However, Lions just hired a former NFL quarterback, Mark Brunell, to be the team’s new quarterback coach.
In addition, this change would benefit Lions financially. Daniel is expected to keep $ 5.3 million from Detroit’s 2021 ceiling, which seems a little big considering that they are already spending $ 27.8 million on Jared Goff and $ 19 million on dead capital from the contract. Stafford. Changing Daniel would free up $ 3.8 million, while costing the team just $ 1.5 million in dead end – not to mention the obvious recruitment compensation benefit of everything they received in return.
At the moment, it is unclear how much market there is for the 34-year-old quarterback, but Lions are unlikely to ask for much in return.