NFL Free Agency 2013: Are Other Teams Chasing Chase Daniel?

Chase Daniel has been the backup quarterback to Drew Brees since joining the team in 2009 (if you include that year he spent on the practice squad), and finds himself perched on the eve of the 2013 NFL free agency period as an unrestricted free agent.

On March 6, Adam Schefter speculated that Daniel could "draw interest" from other teams and possibly challenge for a starting spot somewhere (ROTOWORLD CITATION):

ESPN's Adam Schefter expects free agent QB Chase Daniel to "draw interest," and believes he could challenge for a starting job in the "right spot."

Daniel's name has been coming up more and more in recent days, which could either be an indication of good work by his agent, or just how soft the quarterback market is. Daniel wasn't a hot commodity as a restricted free agent last year, but has seen his reputation grow as he's backed up Drew Brees the past three seasons. He's a long-shot to compete for a starting job. Mar 6 - 5:02 PM

Schefter and Rotoworld used plenty of cautiously qualifying words that allow for lots of wiggle room in taking their statements to task for accuracy and specificity, so it's not really a question of whether they could be on the mark or not.

So why don't we look at the numbers ourselves to see what they tell us?

Daniel's regular season body of work is quite small (completing 7 of 9 passes for 55 yards, with 0 TDs and a sack, to go with his 8 rushes for 30 yards), as Drew Brees has been a true Iron Man since coming over from San Diego, missing only one start in seven seasons. So that doesn't tell us much, other than he's hardly played at all.

But what about the preseason? I know I've seen him running around the field in live action in August.

According to my rough calculations from a number of secondary sources I consulted (HERE HERE HERE and HERE), in the preseason for the Saints, Daniel has compiled this career passing stat line:

118 of 189 (62.4%) for 1497 yards with 14 TDs and 6 INTs

That's not bad. Not bad at all. Hell, before Drew Brees came along, we'd be jumping for joy at a career stat line like that for a Saints QB.

So sure, I guess I could see where some teams might be interested in someone with those numbers.

But just what does the future actually have in store for this young man? Will he continue as a Saint, biding his time and playing sparingly until Drew Breeeees!!! retires? Or will he move along to another team with a more unsettled quarterback situation that may hold the promise of more playing time, and perhaps even a legit chance at *gasp* starting on Sundays?

I hate to waffle and weasel, but I think it all depends on what Chase wants for himself, and which teams actually show interest in him.

The best I can do is add to a list of issue-framing questions I started above that Chase must answer for himself:

Does he have the longing to go out there RIGHT NOW and see if he can be a starter somewhere, or can he wait until he gets his shot with the Saints?

Does he think he'll ever get a real shot to start for the Saints?

How does he think he'd fare in a non-Payton-devised offensive scheme?

My gut tells me that no team will be very interested in him, the Saints re-sign him to middling backup money, and he sticks around with the Saints for another 3-4 years, looking to start once Brees is done.

But what do you think? Am I way off, or right on? Are there other factors I haven't considered in this matter that merit attention?