NFL Dreams: Inside a Cut-Throat Business
Brookings native Mikey Daniel gives an oral history of his NFL experience
*Please note - This story was originally intended to be for the paper but due to things outside of my control (i.e. people not getting back to me) wasn’t quite fit for the formal publication. Still, I really enjoyed this story and felt it was worth sharing. I reached out multiple times to the Carolina Panthers organization to try and get some more clarification on the grievance dispute but could never get ahold of anyone (went as far as calling the team’s ticket office a few times). Not surprised I could never get in touch with anyone but it prevented this story from going any further than a word doc on my computer.
Thanks to Mikey for sharing, I think this really shines a light on the part of the NFL we as fans don’t get to see.
1.6%.
That’s the chances that a college football player has of making it to the NFL.* The odds, for any player with any NFL dreams, are stacked against them. But what if that player is a walk-on? And didn’t even start for much of his college career? And is trying to change positions from running back to fullback? All the while coming from a small-town in South Dakota. You have a better chance winning the Powerball, twice.
For Brookings native Michael “Mikey” Daniel, he defied those odds and then some.
Daniel, originally from the Seattle area, went to high school in Brookings, staring for the Bobcats on both sides of the ball. Before his junior year however, Daniel transferred to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, an elite boarding school where the schools’ athletic programs fielded superstar teams made up of players from around the country. Daniel got exposed to a new, high-level of football, surrounded by players with a laundry list of offers from Division I schools across the nation.
Before his senior year, Daniel moved back to Brookings, helping the Bobcats make a deep run in the state playoffs. Daniel had a few Division I offers, but decided to stay home, and walked on to the team at SDSU. There he played four years, splitting time at running back, and becoming a significant contributor for the Jacks in short-yardage situations.
Following his senior season, Daniel weighed his options. He always had dreams of playing in the NFL but realized that for someone who wasn’t the regular starter on his college team, making it to the league as a running back would be a tall ask. After speaking with coaches, Daniel decided he would make a position change, to better his chances at catching the interest of an NFL team. Daniel switched to the unglamorous fullback position, charged with leading the running back through holes and picking up blitzes in the backfield.
“It’s difficult when you transfer positions to go into a professional setting after never playing it before- that’s not easy,” Daniel said. “I had a lot of advantages though, based on the fact that I played running back, so I am able to read a hole and I know where to block that will help free (the running back).”
Daniel returned to IMG Academy to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft, quickly learning the ins and outs of being a fullback. After being invited to a showcase event in Dallas, he spoke with a few NFL teams who began to show some interest in Daniel. After his pro day, it was clear that Daniel would be on an NFL roster, the question now became, would he hear his name called out during the draft?
During the sixth round of the draft, Daniel received a call. It was the Atlanta Falcons, a team Daniel had spoken to in Dallas. They told him that they wouldn’t be able to draft him, since they only had one pick left and were in desperate need of a punter. However, they said they wanted to sign Daniel as an undrafted free agent, giving him a spot on their training camp roster. The move was pending, of course, that Daniel didn’t hear his name called. The sixth round ended, then came the seventh, and Daniel’s name was not called. Immediately following the draft, the Los Angeles Chargers called Daniel, telling him they wanted to sign him.
“I spoke with my agent and he told me that I should be a man of my word and sign with the Falcons,” Daniel said.
During a normal year, NFL rookies would be flown immediately to their new home. There they would have a rookie camp, followed by a mini-camp, in-between lifting and training programs under the supervision of the team. This wasn’t a normal year however. The COVID-19 pandemic had a firm hold on the nation, and players were forced to find alternative options to prepare for the season. For Daniel, this was especially difficult. For a player that had just recently changed positions, he needed coaching and reps with his new team to develop into his new position. Instead, he had Zoom meetings with coaches and players, followed by training sessions 1,200 miles away from Atlanta.
Before training camp began and players were required to report, Daniel spent significant time in Florida, training with the likes of fellow rookies Justin Jefferson, of the Minnesota Vikings, and DeAndre Swift, of the Detroit Lions. There they worked out and practiced together, preparing for a unique NFL season that had yet to begin.
Daniel finally made it to Atlanta on July 20th, where he was surrounded by new teammates, like quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones, who were only three years removed from losing Super Bowl LI to the New England Patriots. Daniel quickly bonded with running back Todd Gurley, a newcomer to the Falcons and former member of the Los Angeles Rams.
Daniel became close with Gurley, who explained to him that “you have to get a confidence level quickly.”
“One of the most important things (Gurley) taught me was that, as soon as your confidence goes, you go,” Daniel said. “No matter how good of a player you are, if you don’t have confidence, it will not matter. He said, whatever you do be confident, you’re going to make mistakes, learn from them.”
At SDSU, Daniel remembers practices being physical and long. In the NFL, practices were different. Rather than long practices, they were short, 90 minutes at a time, but were full of action, “constant movement, flying around, lots of energy.” A big difference between college and NFL practices, Daniel said, was the lack of tackling.
“You don’t tackle during practice, you hit to contact then let go,” Daniel said.
For the Falcons, all players were required to stay at the facility during training camp, in apartments, something that was unique to the team. Meals were mandatory, as all players were required to eat in the facility at certain times.
During training camp, Daniel was considered by some writers to have a very good chance at making the roster. Will Mcfadden, of atlantafalcons.com, wrote that Daniel was an undrafted free agent to keep an eye on and his position flexibility could give him a chance at a roster spot. Evan Birchfield, writing for the Atlanta Falcons SB Nation site, wrote that “this offseason has been one unlike any other we’ve witnessed. It’s been the toughest path for undrafted rookies to make a name for themselves and hopefully those who don’t land on the roster get to learn on the 16-man practice squad and make another attempt in 2021.”
Despite the obstacles so far, Daniel was on solid ground, having developed strong relationships with the coaching staff and players. As training camp began to come to a close and after seeing teammate after teammate cut, Daniel felt that he was close to making the final 53-man roster.
“I was released the very last day in Atlanta,” Daniel said.
According to Daniel, the coaching staff for the Falcons does not have complete control of the roster, like many fans think. That role falls in the hands of the general manager (GM), player development personnel, and scouts, along with input from the coaching staff. Before being cut, Daniel’s spot on the 16-man practice squad seemed almost assured as his name was already on the practice squad list and the team had continually told him that they wanted to keep him for his development and position flexibility. Following his release, Daniel was told by the coaching staff that “upper-management decided the team needed to keep a fourth quarterback.”
“Who’s the first position they cut then? Fullback,” Daniel said, citing that the other fullback on the roster, Keith Smith, had just recently signed a four million dollar contract, all but assuring his spot on the final roster.
Following his release on September 4th, Daniel said he was “shook” and the entire process left him devasted.
“I fell off, I was confused and lost, I wasn’t really even motivated to go to the gym,” Daniel said.
It took him a little time before getting back to training. Daniel attended a camp for a month and a half at the Hall of Fame in Ohio, where he worked out with former NFL coaches and players who had also been recently cut. Before resuming training, Daniel had gained 30 pounds, much heavier than he was back at training camp. He went to Arizona during the month of February to shed the weight he put on and start preparing for another run at an NFL roster spot.
“I lost 30 pounds that month,” Daniel said, getting down to 218 pounds.
After Arizona, Daniel had a camp in March, where NFL teams would be present. This is where he met with personnel from the Carolina Panthers.
“I met with a few teams but no one was really interested,” Daniel said. “Even the Panthers told me they weren’t really interested. They said ‘we are not really going to go with a fullback but you looked good out here.’ So I didn’t really think anything of it.”
On Easter Sunday, Daniel got a call from the Panthers, saying they wanted to fly him out to Charlotte for a workout. After the workout, the Panthers required Daniel to get a physical but afterwards, signed him to the team. The only issue was Daniel’s weight, he was 218 pounds currently but the Panthers wanted him at 235.
They kept Daniel down in Charlotte where they got him started with a meal plan, nutritionist and chef, along with a lifting program.
“I put the weight on in three weeks, grinding through two to three workouts a day,” Daniel said. “Eating all the time, I call it forced eating because I wasn’t hungry but I had to eat.”
Unlike the previous year, a full off-season was in store for NFL players, including mini-camps and OTAs. For players like Daniel, who were trying to make an NFL roster, this period of time was extremely valuable and gave them a much better chance at succeeding than the previous year.
Throughout the camps, Daniel was doing well, competing with other players in the Panther’s backfield to become the starting fullback heading into the most important part of the year: training camp.
At the end of July, Daniel reported to his sophomore training camp, which was held on Wofford University’s campus in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Players, from undrafted rookies to 10-year veterans, would all stay in freshman dorms on campus.
Daniel was suddenly in the same backfield as former first-round pick Sam Darnold and perennial all-pro Christian McCaffrey. Daniel recalls McCaffrey’s professionalism as something that really stood out.
“Christian is just a hard worker, that dude works harder than anyone I’ve ever met,” Daniel said. “That was a standard I always had for myself, be the hardest worker, but that man, he’s legit. He’s a professional in everything he does, eating, stretching, yoga, he does it all.”
At camp, Daniel was still starting (at fullback) and taking first team reps, “running with the ones.” According to Daniel, camp was going well but during practice on August 8th, Daniel got hurt, suffering a torn labrum in his shoulder. For undrafted rookies or players on the roster “bubble,” serious injuries during camp can be the final proverbial “nail in the coffin.”
The following day, Daniel practiced only in a helmet, but was obviously limited by the injury and “wasn’t able to do much.” According to Daniel, Head Coach Matt Rhule told the team that there were joint practices coming up later in the week and if you “aren’t practicing, you’re not going with.”
The following day, Tuesday, was the day before the Panthers were scheduled to travel to Indianapolis for joint practices with the Colts. Daniel arrived at 5:30 a.m. for treatment on his shoulder. Talking to his trainer, he was told that today, it was another “helmets only” practice which meant, despite his injury, he could be at practice and could then travel on to Indianapolis with the rest of the team.
“My head trainer told me, ‘it’s helmets only so we think you should practice. You’re not going to have to hit anybody, it’s a short practice and since your practicing, that will allow you to go to Indianapolis so we think you should go,’” Daniel said. “So I said, ‘yeah I agree, I’m not going to have hit anybody (and further injure my shoulder), I’ll absolutely practice.’”
Immediately following practice, after not taking a single rep, Daniel was cut by the team.
Daniel asked his trainer, “OK, you’re cutting me, what about my injuries? Whose going to pay for those?”
Daniel said the trainer told him “you got to figure it out.”
In the NFL, players who are cut due to an injury are entitled to an settlement, according to a NJ.com article published in 2019. Following the injury, the player and team has five days to agree to a settlement.
According to Daniel, the Panthers were not going to pay him a settlement following the cut. Daniel and his agent promptly filed an injury grievance with the NFL.
According to the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), an injury grievance applies when a player is released by a team while he is injured and unable to play. A typical injury grievance involves a player who comes to camp, passes the physical, later suffers an injury or re-injury, and then is cut by the team during the same year.
Daniel said that the Panthers were “not happy” when they heard about the grievance being filed, because “it made the team look bad.” The organization called Daniel’s agent, asking for an explanation for why the grievance was filed.
Daniel said his agent explained to the team that somebody still had to pay for his treatment and recovery.
Through Daniel’s agent, it was decided that a settlement with the Panthers would be done off-the-record while removing the grievance. Daniel just had to get an MRI and an evaluation to determine how much he was due.
During the off-the-record negotiations for the injury settlement, the Panthers promised Daniel that he would not see a dime, saying they would play the practice tape of Daniel going onto the field, after it was determined he had a torn labrum. Despite removing the grievance, Daniel wound up not seeing any settlement for his injury from the Panthers.
“They hustled me,” Daniel said. “But that’s the NFL.”
For Daniel, the most frustrating part of this situation was the training staff, who he felt set him up to lose out on a settlement, by advising him to practice while injured.
“There’s nobody that’s like, ‘no, I’m not going to practice.’ Because you’re trying to make the team,” Daniel said. “You’ll do whatever you have to.”
The situation in Charlotte, left Daniel “devastated.” After the cut, Daniel was still left with a torn labrum in his shoulder and a bad ankle. The Arizona Cardinals called “a few weeks later” to see what Daniel’s status was, but he was “over it” and ready to move on.
After taking some time, Daniel decided to leave football altogether. At SDSU, Daniel majored in business but signed with a real estate agent in the Raleigh area this fall, which is where he works and lives with his fiancé.
Reflecting on his NFL journey, Daniel wishes he had someone there to guide him through the process, instead of having to learn everything on his own.
“I don’t have a single regret though, it was amazing. I gave everything I had, I’m just ecstatic that I was able to accomplish what I did,” Daniel said. “Less than 1% of people in the world can say what I can say. I’m extremely blessed because of that. It didn’t work out in the way I wanted it too but I was still able to reach a point that I statistically should have never been able to get too.”
*According to a 2020 study done by the NCAA