Chase Daniel's contract is very big (for a backup): $10 million over 3 years

The Kansas City Chiefs made a fairly sizable commitment to free agent Chase Daniel, who agreed to a deal shortly after free agency hit. Daniel's contract is worth a reported $10 million over three years.

By Joel Thorman@JoelThorman Mar 12, 2013, 9:49pm CDT

Flash back to last year for me. KC Chiefs fans wanted the team to re-sign Kyle Orton to compete with Matt Cassel, and the Chiefs were supposedly trying to do that. But then Orton signed a big contract in Dallas as the Cowboys backup. Former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli would point out on a number of occasions that it was a "very, very generous" contract by the Cowboys that the Chiefs wouldn't match.

OK, so you got it? That's the deal Chase Daniel signed. More or less.

Orton's contract last year was worth $10.5 million over three years, including $5 million guaranteed. Now this is Daniel's deal:

Chase Daniel gets 3 yrs, $10 M, just under $5 M guaranteed. Nice $ for #2 QB.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 13, 2013

This is your quarterback market. Daniel, a quarterback who has never played a meaningful snap in the NFL, was one of the best free agent quarterbacks available. This league absolutely needs more quarterbacks and they'll pay good money to those who have shown any sort of promise. Or, in Daniel's case, to someone who hasn't yet shown they'll screw it up.

More QB news: Chiefs hope to trade Cassel

The price tag also shows that multiple teams were interested in Daniel. You don't pay this type of money to a No. 2 without some competition. The Jets were reportedly one of the teams interested.

There's also the competitive angle. What teams say doesn't always matter; it's their actions that do. And this action is a serious commitment to Daniel. I'm not saying this is a quarterback competition or that Alex Smith should watch his back. I'm just saying this isn't a Tyler Palko situation. This is someone the Chiefs consider part of their future.

In other words, the new regime is treating the backup quarterback position the exact opposite of the old regime.