Who’s Got It Better Than NFL Backup QBs? Nobody!
Sometimes my chaps and go down the wormhole of "if you could pick any one job in any sport, what would it be?" This is, of course, reliant on being athletically gifted enough to be in that position in the first place, which none of us are. The majority of us common folk are sloppy and disgusting so it’ll obviously never happen, but it's still a fun conversation to have. Similar to "if you won the Powerball, what would you do?" Equally unlikely, but interesting to talk about. There’s a couple different directions you could take this, but I always end up at the same place: a career backup QB.
For the longest time I defaulted to "placekicker that specializes only in kickoffs" but I’m not entirely sure that exists. Is there such a thing as someone who only does kickoffs and tries for touchbacks every time? Field goals and extra points are stressful, so if this is part of the job I’m out. My clear #2 is long-snapper. You're free to perform your one task undeterred and if you're good at it, you'll always have a spot on the active roster. If you have a 100% hit rate on long-snaps, you're employed.
The standalone answer to the question above is NFL backup QB, without question. You might've guessed this since it's the title of the blog, but this is unequivocally the best spot to be in.
Being a starting quarterback in the NFL seems very hard to do. It’s a high leverage job and the most important position on the field. To me, being a backup is far more chill.
You’re expected to perform in practice where you wear a special jersey and no one’s allowed to hit you. Maybe some preseason snaps are in order, but these guys are professionals and a drive here and there is nothing. Base level competence is all that’s really required here. If your starter is performing and stays healthy, you’ll see very few (if any) live reps. Your body stays intact for the most part and you get the full benefit of the NFL experience and lifestyle. You’re a very valuable safety net and a placeholder, you don’t have to worry about people taking your job as much as a starter would. If anything, you’re the one threatening to take jobs.* Fewer hits, less pressure, lower expectations and a ridiculous paycheck.
So who are the guys that are living the life as NFL backup QBs? In most cases, the less production you see from these guys the better and there are even full seasons where these blokes are throwing very few season passes and getting paid handsomely. Not to say the following guys aren’t competitive or capable, but what’s better than being a starter? Being a backup and playing on good teams without all the bullshit baggage. Getting paid a shit load of money to take less physical damage and have fewer microphones in your face. Show up, do your job, and not have the spotlight constantly on you. These are the guys that are living that dream. You’ll recognize a lot of these names from the past decade-plus, they’re more or less living in the shadows and loving every minute of it.
- Blaine Gabbert [12 years/$25.9M in career earnings] - There was one hell of a disappointed fanbase in Jacksonville when Gabbert didn’t pan out when he was selected 10th overall in 2011. Following up a 4-10 rookie campaign, the Jags went 1-9 in 2012 before he got the axe. Therein lies the downside of getting drafted as early as he did; the expectations are sky high and the weight of a franchise is on your shoulders only to bust in the eyes of the fans. Imagine getting taken 10th overall and being a victim of the totally reasonable Jaguars fanbase when you play like ass, that couldn’t have been much fun. Sometimes the path to a career as a backup includes a few roadblocks and Gabbert weathered the storm. Since then, he’s bounced around a good amount but now lives the good life as a career backup. In the next 9 seasons he played in this role, he matched the same amount of starts that he compiled in his first two seasons (24), and has thrown >100 passes just once. He’s spent the last three years in the Tampa Bay sun, tanning his buttcheeks and playing behind Tom Brady, adding a Super Bowl ring to his trophy case along the way. The beauty of backing up Tom Brady is you’ll never see the field, Tom Brady is a psychopath and refuses to miss any time. Plus, the TB12 method keeps Brady limber so there’s a minimal chance of ever having to “do” anything. This is the perfect scenario for a backup. If my math is correct, he made $5,437,500 as a Buccaneer and attempted 35 total passes which is simply elite compensation given his workload.
- Yesterday, it was announced that the Chiefs were signing him so he gets to enjoy another year of perfect anonymity while Patrick Mahomes does what he does and extend his career backup dream job.
- Chad Henne [15 years/$38.6M in career earnings] - Chad Henne is another example of a guy falling out of favor after being drafted Rd.2 (#57 overall) in 2008 and generally underwhelming early on. Originally selected by the Dolphins, he lasted only two seasons there as the starter going 13-18 before being replaced midway through the third. He was then moved to Jacksonville to replace Blaine Gabbert, interestingly enough, where he spent the next 5 seasons. As you might’ve guessed, it didn’t work out there, either. He was the starter for two full seasons and they went 5-17 before he was once again benched. Sometimes, it’s possible that guys aren’t meant to be premier starters in the NFL and that’s totally fine so long as they’re experienced locker room guys that are able to mentor and be a safe option if shit hits the fan. Henne fit the bill and he was signed by Kansas City as the backup to their young starter, Jackson Mahomes’ brother Patrick. He was in KC from 2018 until this past season and made $11,975,365 throwing just 61 passes in that time. They won the Super Bowl last year, he immediately drank a beer on the field then announced his retirement. What a career.
- Brian Hoyer [14 years/$32.6M in career earnings] - Hoyer was destined to be a career backup after going undrafted and signing with the Patriots in 2009. He started out as Tom Brady’s backup and trained under the tutelage of Brady and Belichick for 3 seasons, setting him up well for a career as QB2 at worst. He split a year in Pittsburgh and Arizona before settling in as a Cleveland Brown in 2014. His greatest career achievement and one that set him up for life was starting 13 games there and boasting a record of 7-6. Carrying the Browns to a winning record is one of the hardest things to do in the NFL, even if it wasn’t a full season. In my opinion, this granted him a lifetime contract as a guy that’s “solid enough” to be a reliable career backup. As one does, he once again found himself on several different teams bouncing between the Patriots and Colts from 2018-2022. In that time he started 3 total games, attempted 108 passes and made $12,409,191.
- He’s currently under contract with the Raiders through 2024, set to earn an additional $5.9M.
- Chase Daniel “The Backup God” [14 seasons/$41.8M career earnings] - This one’s as good as it gets. Chase Daniel went undrafted in 2010 and has spent a decent amount of time on practice squads. His expectations were never very high but somewhere along the way he became the guy to have. From a compensation to production point of view, he’s absolutely fleeced his way to an immaculate career as a full-time backup. Through 14 seasons in the league, he’s started an impossible FIVE (5) GAMES. His longest tenure was with the Saints between two separate stints where they paid him $3,204,317 over the course of 6 seasons. Not a bad return considering he attempted 9 total passes. That’s $356K per pass attempt for any statisticians out there. He spent 2 seasons in each of Chicago and Philly and earned a staggering $21,104,847, an absolute dream scenario. He threw just one pass in Philadelphia, $11,100,000 was his total cash payout. The busiest stretch of his career was in Chicago, racking up 3 starts and throwing 140 passes over the course of 8 games. He was paid of $10,004,847 for his trouble. It was apparently enough to convince the Lions to add him as a backup to Matthew Stafford where he earned another $3,519,307 the following season. Finally, he spent the last two seasons as Justin Herbert’s backup in LA (where I hear the weather is shitty) throwing only 12 passes. He earned an even $4 million for that.
- Currently, Chase Daniel is a free agent with over a dozen years of experience as a viable backup. He’s 36 years old, so if he really wanted to he could hang it up and retire with full pockets as the greatest and richest backup QB in the league’s history.
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