Former Chiefs QB says interest in former rival was all about leverage
Speaking from experience, former longtime backup quarterback Chase Daniel believes the Kansas City Chiefs meeting with running back J.K. Dobbins was solely to gain leverage in contract discussions with Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
By Lior Lampert
Shortly after bringing hosting free agent running back J.K. Dobbins for a visit, the Kansas City Chiefs re-signed Clyde Edwards-Helaire to a one-year deal.
The NFL can be a cat-and-mouse game, as was the case here. By meeting with Dobbins, Kansas City got the attention of Edwards-Helaire and his agents. Whether the Chiefs admit it or not, they deployed this tactic to gain leverage in contract negotiations.
Chase Daniel, longtime backup quarterback and former Chief, weighed in on the matter based on a similar personal experience he went through as a pro.
AKA: let’s bring JK Dobbins in as leverage to make Clyde Edwards-Helaire sign.
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) April 2, 2024
I was that leverage in March 2017 after I got cut by Philly. I was in Dallas & Jets flew me up 1st Class to meet with them & as soon as I got off the plane my agent called & said they signed Josh… https://t.co/iqysiS0UGX
Former Chiefs QB Chase Daniel says the team used J.K. Dobbins for leverage to re-sign Clyde Edwards-Helaire
In response to Nate Taylor of The Athletic reporting that the Chiefs are moving forward with Edwards-Helaire despite the team having a “productive” meeting with Dobbins, Daniel compared it to when the New York Jets flew him out for a visit in 2017 only to sign Josh McCown to a $6 million contract.
“That’s life in the NFL,” Daniel said.
However, that didn’t stop Daniel from receiving roughly $41.8 million in career earnings across 14 seasons of being a backup quarterback, starting only five games and throwing a meager 273 passes (making $153,217.84 per attempt).
For those who are familiar with the Blue Mountain State television series, you know that the backup quarterback is the best position in sports, and Daniel is the gold standard for clipboard kings in the NFL.
While Daniel never officially retired, he took to X (formerly known as Twitter) in September of 2023 to announce the start of his media career as an NFL Network analyst.
Kansas City is passing up Dobbins in favor of Edwards-Helaire for a second time after doing so in the 2020 NFL Draft, selecting the latter with the last pick in the first round and watching the Baltimore Ravens land the former in the back end of round two.
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