New Eagles coach Doug Pederson has gone out of his way to insist that Sam Bradford will be the team's starting quarterback despite the fact that his executive team handed Chase Daniel a three-year, $21 million deal with $12 million in guarantees. The deal can escalate into the $30 million range with incentives.
During a Monday interview with NFL HQ, Pederson was asked to explain exactly what Daniel is here for: Quality backup who knows the offense, or someone who can light a fire under Bradford and potentially start some games?
"I think a little bit of both," Pederson said. "Right now chase is the guy that's coming in No. 2, Sam is the No. 1 going in. But he brings a level of consistency in the offense I'm bringing. He can help teach the offense to a lot of other players. He's another coach for me on the football field, and he's going to be great for Sam Bradford. He's going to not only help him in the classroom but help him on the field with the offense, the terminology, some of the things that are different with this new offense. But I think from a motivational standpoint, he's very fiery, very competitive. Look for some great things out of Chase Daniel."
The Eagles are paying Daniel more -- way more -- than any other No. 2 in the NFL right now. But perhaps chief executive Howie Roseman is looking at it in terms of total cap percentages. Right now, Bradford and Daniel combined are counting $17.5 million against the Eagles' 2016 numbers, or about 11 percent of the total number. Compare that to, say, the Lions where Matthew Stafford is counting $22.5 million against the cap (14 percent) or Washington where a franchise tagged Kirk Cousins is counting 19.953 million (12.32 percent) against the cap and it doesn't seem so bad.
The Eagles are essentially getting two quarterbacks they view as starting caliber for the price of one overpaid NFL starter in 2016. Bad business? Maybe. But with the uncertainty surrounding Bradford, it might also be the only way they can ensure the team remains competitive if Bradford doesn't improve under Pederson's Andy Reid-style offense.
