Chase Daniel has spent 12 years as an NFL quarterback, almost always as a backup, often getting jobs because coaches believe he can serve as a capable mentor to a younger quarterback. That’s part of Daniel’s job backing up Justin Herbert with the Chargers, but Daniel says Herbert doesn’t need a lot of mentorship.
Daniel says Herbert understands all the responsibilities that come with being a franchise quarterback, especially the parts that go beyond throwing a football.
“Him and I have had really good conversations about his progression as a quarterback,” Daniel told Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times. “I’ve told him, ‘Hey, listen, it’s obviously what you do on the field. But it’s so much more than that. It’s how you treat the guys in the locker room. It’s how you interact with the coaches. How you interact with the cooking staff. How you interact with the equipment staff. It’s everything that goes into it.’ A lot of guys don’t understand that. It’s a lot of pressure, but he just handles it so easily. It just comes natural to him.”
Daniel signed with the Chargers five months ago, and Herbert immediately started picking Daniel’s brain about what he’d learned during his career, which has taken him from Washington to New Orleans to Kansas City to Philadelphia to New Orleans again to Chicago to Detroit.
“I think he took to me pretty pretty quickly, and I respond to that,” Daniel said. “He sought me out. This is the offensive rookie of the year. The guy put up 30-some odd touchdown passes and seeking me out for advice. That showed me how humble he is and just how much he wants to learn. It wasn’t even about the offense. It was like, ‘How do you see the week going in season? How do you think I should best prepare? How do you do this?’ I have some advice, but he’s going to do what he thinks best. But I thought that was really cool.”
Daniel has made an estimated $38 million in his NFL career while starting five games. Mentoring has been good business, and he’ll keep doing it with Herbert.
