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Inside Chase Daniel’s Growing Digital Network While Expanding His ESPN Profile
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- Inside Chase Daniel’s Growing Digital Network While Expanding His ESPN Profile
There are very few former professional athletes who make the transition to sports media. Even fewer climb the ranks in the manner Chase Daniel has since retiring from the NFL in September 2023. Now, three years later, the career NFL backup is becoming one of ESPN's most versatile prime-time players in college and NFL coverage.
Since stepping away from the game, Daniel has built a digital following, called UFL and college football games, and signed a new multiyear extension with ESPN after joining the network just last year. However, his latest venture adds a new wrinkle to his growing digital content footprint.
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Beginning Sunday, Daniel will team up with the Bussin' with the Boys platform for a new Sunday evening show called The First Read .
"I like the name a lot. We're trying to be the first ones out there reacting to the Sunday slate of games. Because we've seen a lot of growth on Sunday nights because people want content right away," said Daniel. "It's a pillar that I'm going to have in their [Bussin' with the Boys] ecosystem."
The new project will be the first partnership between Daniel and Bussin' with the Boys co-hosts Will Compton and Taylor Lewan . The First Read will be a tape-to-air presentation. The show will tape episodes between the late-afternoon Sunday NFL slate and the Sunday night football matchup.
The project is another addition for Lewan and Compton following a successful first season as contributors with ESPN. They also earned a new weekly program on the network alongside Josh Pate every Friday during this college football season.
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Daniel has marveled at the growth of the Bussin' product from afar for years. So much so, it led to him texting Compton in February to ask for advice on how to grow his platforms in the same manner as Bussin'.
"I'm always trying to seek out experts in the digital content and podcasting sphere. They're growing like wildfire and touching all sorts of things. One thing led to another. We got on a call right away and talked for 45 minutes," said Daniel. "He asked me to join them. I said OK, but it's not that simple. We then had our suits [Dave Maryles & Rubicon Talent Agency] figure it out, and they've been unbelievable and supportive throughout the process."
Expanding Footprint At ESPN
The First Read is just the latest venture in a summer filled with raised expectations and added opportunities for Daniel. In July, he announced a multiyear contract extension with ESPN and his addition to a revamped SEC Nation program. The role comes on top of his continued work calling Thursday Night Football games. Also while balancing responsibilities as both a college and NFL analyst across the company.
"I have had such a great experience so far with ESPN. From the support staff to coaching, it's been really top-notch. That really played into it when we had an extension offer this spring. There were definitely other people [interested], but this was such a great opportunity to stay with ESPN," said Daniel.
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As part of the new contract, ESPN offered Daniel a role on the SEC Network's flagship gameday program as part of the negotiations. Daniel leapt at the opportunity, calling joining SEC Nation a "no-brainer."
"Other than College GameDay, you look at how much as a company ESPN invests in SEC Nation. It's a massive property for them. To be added to that show with an expanded hour and all the other cool things we're doing. That told me how much they wanted me. I want to repay that by being great," explained Daniel.
Finding Mentorship In Media
A second act in media following his NFL playing career was something Daniel admits was never a thought. Despite serving as a backup for much of his career, he continued pursuing a starting quarterback role with every franchise he joined. As his career wound down into its final seasons, teams began using Daniel in fun and creative ways to generate viral content on social platforms.
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Success from those experiences led to a heightened interest in attempting the leap into media. That journey began during his playing days in 2022 with an opportunity at NFL Network.
"I remember after the first show feeling that I loved it. The first show was fun because it sort of showed I can react to things immediately," explained Daniel. "After the second or third show, I really got the urge to put in the time and get better at it."
Daniel then began reaching out to those within the industry to help guide and coach him through further growth and improvement.
"One of the main people that helped me from the get-go. Even still to this day is Kirk Herbstreit," says Daniel. "When I went to try out calling games and analyst work, I remember going to Kirk and talking about the fears I had with it. He spent a ton of time with me and walked me through a lot of different elements. Gerry Matalon also was a giant help, especially with calling games and techniques."
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Calling The Audible
Following his tenure with NFL Network, Daniel signed his first network media agreement with FOX Sports in 2024. While there, Daniel was featured as a panelist on the weekday studio show The Facility while also calling UFL games for FOX Sports. Less than a year later, Daniel found himself out at FOX Sports following sweeping changes to the programming lineup on FS1.
With the changes happening in mid-July, the timing of the news ahead of another football season wasn't ideal.
"Everybody in big media already had all their spots filled ahead of football season. They've been filled since April. So, when The Facility got canceled, first of all, wow. But what's next? I told my agents I can't sit still this season. Let's figure something out," explained Daniel. "Literally a week later, ESPN began talking with us, wanting me to call college games for the network with some added time on studio shows. That was amazing. I don't know how in the world it all came together."
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In his approach with ESPN, Daniel is a rare commodity, one who excels in both the NFL and college football lanes of coverage. He considers himself a "half-and-half guy" who viewed himself more in the NFL spotlight until he began calling college football games.
Because of that approach and versatility, Daniel has become a swiss army knife for the network. He has shown the ability to adjust to studio work early in the week for NFL and college coverage, then hit the road for booth work on Thursdays and SEC Nation on Saturdays.
"NFL is one, college football is two. Being on NFL Live , I'm sure I'll be on Get Up and a big part of their Super Bowl coverage. To me, I never want to lose that. The versatility that I bring is something that everyone enjoyed, but I just want to be a good teammate," said Daniel. "If you ask me to do something, let's do it. I don't want to do something just to do it. I want to be great at it."
Future Aspirations
For a player who spent much of his NFL career waiting for his next opportunity, Chase Daniel has taken a very different approach to his second act.
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He isn't waiting for one role to define him. He's embracing every opportunity that comes his way — from the NFL and college football to studio shows and now digital content with Bussin' with the Boys . The result is a career in sports media that has grown faster and broader than even Daniel could have envisioned when he first stepped away from football.
Three years into that journey, Daniel is no longer simply a former quarterback trying to find his place in the media landscape. He has become a trusted, versatile presence for ESPN while also getting the opportunity to build something of his own digitally.
And if his playing career taught him anything, it's that being ready when the opportunity comes matters.
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"I think ultimately what I'm drawn to is replacing Kirk Herbstreit whenever he decides to walk away. I really enjoy calling games. It's the closest thing to playing," said Daniel. "The A booth is the premiere thing in college, but I don't want to stop doing NFL stuff. I want to keep being a good teammate. If I'm doing this and spending time away from my family, there's a reason. I want to call the best games possible and be in the best situation to talk ball and have fun with it."
Daniel spent years preparing to be a starting quarterback. In media, he's taking that same approach. Preparing to do whatever is asked of him and then trying to be great at it.
For Daniel, the second act was never part of the plan. But now that it's here, he has no intention of sitting still.
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The post Inside Chase Daniel's Growing Digital Network While Expanding His ESPN Profile appeared first on Barrett Media .
