New Bears quarterback Chase Daniel has a term in his contract that only a good agent would think to request.
The two-year, $10 million deal contains a provision that allows Daniel to secure free-agency status by simply writing a check, according to a source with knowledge of the deal.
To become a free agent in 2019, Daniel needs to pay the Bears $5 million. No other conditions apply to Daniel’s ability to void the deal.
While that may seem like a lot of money (especially since he’ll only make $4 million this year), it’s a small price to pay in the event that he gets a chance to play in 2018 and plays well. If, for example, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles had a term like that, he surely would have written the check, confident he’ll be getting a much bigger check.
The provision wasn’t inspired by Foles. Several years ago in Kansas City, Daniel had a similar provision in his contract, with the goal of parlaying a great performance into a shot at the open market.