Cooper Rush has racked up more NFL wins in the last three weeks than Chase Daniel has in the last 13 years.
Accordingly, Rush’s next contract should be worth $80 billion in cash, not Bitcoin.
No one in the history of sport has leveraged more out of producing less than Daniel.
Whatever happens to Rush from this point forward, the Dallas Cowboys backup quarterback exploited an opportunity and should be in the NFL for a long, long time.
In the last three weeks, Rush transformed himself from a player who was just fortunate to have a job in the NFL to a man who proved he can be good enough to effectively run an NFL offense and win NFL games.
Put some respect on that.
That very particular set of skills, acquired over a relatively short career, isn’t necessarily a nightmare for other NFL teams but it sure can be lucrative.
“You just enjoy playing ball. You don’t get to start every week as the backup,” Rush said after the Cowboys’ win against the Washington Team Football on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. “That’s why you’re there, you just want to do your job. You really enjoy it and it’s fun being with those guys.
“So you cherish it all.”
Securing a job as a backup NFL quarterback is almost as difficult as becoming a starting NFL quarterback. The percentages may be worse.
Whether Rush signs another contract with the Cowboys, or signs elsewhere in the offseason, he is an Eminem song.
Rush had one shot; one opportunity; he captured it ... without vomiting on his sweater.
Cooper Rush may not be the next Chase Daniel, but in three weeks he changed his entire life.
Daniel is the executive platinum-level standard for backup NFL quarterbacks, and the fantasy of millions of men all over this country who aspire to have a job where you are paid six to seven figures without really having to perform.
Daniel is currently the backup quarterback with the L.A. Chargers. He started his career on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad back in 2009.
Since then, he won a Super Bowl ring, has started five NFL games, and is 2-3. His last start was in 2019, with the Chicago Bears.
He has signed more NFL contracts than he has started NFL games. He has played with six different NFL teams, and reportedly made well over $40 million.
At 36 years of age, he is set for several lifetimes.
Cooper Rush, 28, may not be walking down the Chase Daniel gold brick road, but in these last three weeks Rush has done as much, if not more, on an NFL field in an NFL game than Daniel ever has.
Rush is completing 60% of his passes for 737 yards with four touchdown throws and zero interceptions.
Zero as in none.
He did get away with a pass or two that could have (should have) been intercepted, but they weren’t.
“It’s been fun, I try to enjoy it. The NFL doesn’t let you enjoy much,” Rush said. “You guys saw today with the defense, and all the breaks we catch, it’s just kind of lucky. QB win stats, they are what they are.”
Some of this is genuine humility on Rush’s part, which is one of the reasons he continually stuck to the Cowboys.
He’s a hard guy to dislike, a key element to any backup quarterback.
Some of this is accurate. The Cowboys have been a little lucky in this stretch.
And some of this is because Cooper Rush can play.
What Rush has done is not luck, or an accident. He’s made several legit, NFL throws in the last few weeks.
Suspend the preposterous notion that Cooper Rush is better than Dak Prescott. He’s not.
Rush knows it, too.
Suspend the preposterous notion that Cooper Rush can’t play in the NFL He can.
Rush knows it, too.
So does the rest of the NFL.
“It’s been huge, that’s why you play the game,” he said. “Since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to start in the NFL. Being able to do that for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoons is pretty awesome.”
All he needed was one shot, one opportunity, and Cooper Rush didn’t blow it.
