Former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Chase Daniel said he has not heard from his old team following Justin Herbert’s diagnosis with a foot injury.
“They haven’t reached out yet,” Daniel told Dianna Russini on the Scoop City podcast (7:00 mark.) “It makes a lot of sense. I don’t know, the number has to be right for me to go back. I’m not completely closing the door.”
Daniel continued: “I haven’t played in about a year in a half, so. Getting back into playing shape wouldn’t be too hard, but I’m not going to close the door on it right now.”
Daniel, who last made an NFL appearance in January 2023, previously posted an image of the Batman signal following the news of Herbert’s injury.
The Chargers announced Thursday that Herbert was diagnosed with a plantar fascia injury that would necessitate “approximately two weeks in a boot.”
Herbert is expected to return before the regular-season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sept. 8, according to the team.
That timeline still raises concerns for the Chargers, given the team’s adjustments to new offensive coordinator Greg Roman and the thin depth chart behind Herbert.
Easton Stick is currently serving as the backup in Los Angeles, with Max Duggan and Casey Bauman behind him. Stick has made six career NFL appearances, while Duggan and Bauman have no professional experience.
Daniel has 74 career NFL appearances under his belt, including five over two seasons with the Chargers, throughout his 14-year career mostly as an NFL backup.
His yearlong retirement may not make him the go-to option for Los Angeles, but the Chargers could certainly use a quarterback with that kind of experience as the team prepares to finish out training camp and begin preseason competition without their first-string signal caller.
