Former Kansas City Chiefs Player Says Team Used Free Agent as ‘Leverage’ in Negotiations

Former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel said via social media that another NFL team put him in a similar situation. He was used as leverage by the New York Jets , who ended up signing fellow journeyman QB Josh McCown.

Daniel played for six teams during his time in the NFL. He was never a full-time starter, but he managed to find his way onto an NFL roster from 2010 to 2022.

Chase Daniel finished with a career QB record of 2-3. According to WatchStadium.com, Daniel earned about $41.8 million throughout his career. This means he earned over $20 million per win and over $4.6 million per touchdown pass.

While Daniel was on the bad end of the “business” that is the NFL, he seemed to benefit from it greatly overall, hence the lack of ill will in his social media post. Players like J.K. Dobbins and Clyde Edwards-Helaire who play more punishing positions may not be as lucky as Daniel.

The Kansas City Chiefs may have taken Clyde Edwards-Helaire ver J.K. Dobbins due to injury concerns

While former Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins has shown he can be explosive when healthy, his inability to stay on the field might have steered the Kansas City Chiefs away.

Dobbins averaged six yards per carry in the only season in which he played more than eight games, which was his rookie season. Since then, he missed the entire 2021 season with an injury, and played just one game in the 2023 season.

Despite his limited time on the field, teammate and quarterback Lamar Jackson expressed how much Dobbins meant to the team in an article from the Associated Press.

“I feel like J.K.’s been busting his behind to get back on that field and just show the world what he’s capable of, and to help us out along the way,” Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “I spoke highly of him this offseason, just letting everybody know that we really need him. For him to go down with a season-ending injury, that’s just very unfortunate for us.”

If the Chiefs were to take Dobbins, it would be as a depth player. Kansas City already has a starting running back, Isaiah Pacheco, who was crucial to their Super Bowl runs in 2022 and 2023.

Edwards Helaire has proven to be a solid depth piece and third-down running back who excels at catching the ball out of the backfield. Dobbins doesn’t have the pass-catching ability that Edwards-Helaire has, which may be another reason the Chiefs decided to go another way.

An NFL team that decides to take a flyer on Dobbins despite the injuries could get an elite running back for a cheap price. For now, Dobbins is used as leverage for negotiations.