Some scouts considered Daniel among the best quarterbacks in the 2009 Draft, but they had concerns about his height and whether his skills in the college
spread offense would translate to the very different game played in the NFL. Daniel's height was measured as 6 ft 0 in at the
NFL Scouting Combine. He weighed in at 218 pounds. Daniel ran a 4.86 and 4.79 in the 40 and had a nine-foot broad jump in his Pro Day.
Washington Redskins Daniel was not selected in the
2009 NFL draft, but was signed as an
undrafted free agent by the
Washington Redskins. The Redskins waived him when making their final roster cuts on September 5, 2009. victory parade in February 2010
New Orleans Saints (first stint) Daniel was signed to the
New Orleans Saints practice squad on September 6, 2009. He was promoted to the active roster on September 26, and named the emergency third quarterback for the September 27 game against the
Buffalo Bills. The Saints waived Daniel on October 12, 2009, after
placekicker Garrett Hartley (coincidentally, a teammate of Daniel's at
Southlake Carroll High School) came back from a four-game suspension, then re-signed him on October 16. On November 17, 2009, ESPN reported that Daniel had been cut once again, to allow the Saints to sign cornerback
Chris McAlister. He was signed to the team's practice squad again on November 20, 2009. He was released from the practice squad on December 9, 2009, only to be re-signed to the practice squad two days later. Daniel was promoted to the active roster before the regular season finale on January 1, 2010. He was a member of the New Orleans Saints Super Bowl XLIV Championship team, although he did not take the field that season. Going into the 2010 season, Daniel was expected to battle with veteran
Patrick Ramsey for the backup quarterback position behind
Drew Brees. Daniel and Ramsey put up similar numbers during the preseason, but on September 3, it was reported that Daniel had been chosen as backup quarterback; the team waived Ramsey. He continued as the primary backup to Brees, as well as the team's placekick
holder, for the 2010, 2011, and 2012 seasons. While with the Saints, he was teammates with placekicker Garrett Hartley and long snapper
Justin Drescher, all of whom went to Southlake Carroll High School. On December 23, 2012, the trio connected on a game-winning field goal in overtime against the
Dallas Cowboys. In Week 17, with the Chiefs locked into the #5 seed in the playoffs, Daniel started his first regular-season NFL game, a 24–27 overtime loss to the
San Diego Chargers, going 21/30 for 200 yards and one touchdown pass, while rushing for an additional 59 yards. His final 2013 stats were 248 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Daniel returned to the Chiefs for the 2014 season as Smith's backup. Before week 17 against the Chargers, it was announced that Smith had suffered a lacerated spleen and would miss the game and possibly the playoffs, giving Daniel the start on Week 17 for the second straight year. This time, Daniel led the Chiefs to a 19–7 victory over the Chargers. The victory eliminated the Chargers from playoff contention. Daniel remained with the Chiefs in the 2015 season but appeared in relief in only two games in the regular season and the 30–0 victory over the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
Philadelphia Eagles On March 9, 2016, Daniel signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the
Philadelphia Eagles. In the 2016 season, he was the backup to rookie
Carson Wentz, whom the Eagles chose with the second overall pick. He appeared in two games in the 2016 season. On March 13, 2017, hours after the Eagles signed free agent quarterback and former Philadelphia Eagle
Nick Foles, Daniel requested and was granted his release from the team.
New Orleans Saints (second stint) On March 29, 2017, Daniel signed a one-year contract to return to the Saints. In the 2017 season, he appeared in one game, against the
Buffalo Bills, in relief of Brees.
Chicago Bears On March 14, 2018, Daniel signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the
Chicago Bears with $7 million guaranteed. For the 2018 regular season, he served as the backup to
Mitchell Trubisky. In week four, he saw action against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a trick play nicknamed "
Willy Wonka", which had been designed by coach Matt Nagy and the quarterbacks and named by Daniel days before the game. On the Buccaneers' three-yard line, Daniel joined Trubisky in the backfield in the
shotgun formation. Before the play began, receiver
Taylor Gabriel and tight end
Trey Burton moved along the line of scrimmage to confuse the defense. Upon receiving the snap, Trubisky quickly pitched the ball forward to Gabriel on a shovel pass. Trubisky then faked a hand-off to Daniel as Gabriel scored the touchdown. On November 21, Daniel was named the starter for the Week 12
Thanksgiving matchup against the
Detroit Lions due to a shoulder injury to Trubisky. It was his third career start and his first since Week 17 of the 2014 season with the Chiefs. He completed 27 of 37 pass attempts for 230 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 23–16 Bears victory. Daniel remained the starter in the next week's game against the
New York Giants. He completed 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions (both by Giants linebacker
Alec Ogletree, one of which was returned for a touchdown), and was sacked five times as the Bears lost in overtime, 30–27. Trubisky returned to the starting role a week later. In Week 4 of the 2019 season against the
Minnesota Vikings, Daniel replaced an injured Trubisky in the first quarter. He completed 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown to
Tarik Cohen as the Bears won 16–6. With Trubisky unable to play the following week's game against the
Oakland Raiders in London, Daniel started as quarterback. Although he threw for 231 yards and two touchdowns, he was also intercepted twice, once late in the game, as the Bears lost, 24–21. In Week 11 against the
Los Angeles Rams on
Sunday Night Football, Daniel was put into the game late in the fourth quarter after Trubisky was injured. He threw for nine yards as the Bears lost, 17–7.
Detroit Lions On March 24, 2020, Daniel signed a three-year, $13.05 million contract with the
Detroit Lions. Daniel made his first appearance for the Lions during Week 9 against the
Minnesota Vikings after starter
Matthew Stafford left the game in the fourth quarter. He completed 8 of 13 passes for 94 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Lions lost, 34–20. On March 18, 2021, Daniel was released by the Lions.
Los Angeles Chargers On March 31, 2021, Daniel signed with the
Los Angeles Chargers. He served as the backup to
Justin Herbert, appearing in one game. On March 17, 2022, Daniel re-signed with the Chargers. In Week 18 against the
Denver Broncos, Daniel relieved Herbert and threw for 25 yards, completing a touchdown pass to
Keenan Allen, as well as a two–point conversion to
Joshua Palmer in what would be his final NFL game.
Retirement On September 5, 2023, Daniel announced his retirement from professional football after fourteen seasons, while also announcing his intent to begin a new full-time media career for multiple outlets, including the
NFL Network. ==Career statistics==