Heinicke signed a one-year contract worth up to $6.2 million with the Chargers on Thursday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Heinicke spent the 2024 season with the Chargers as the backup to Justin Herbert but played only 22 offensive snaps while attempting five passes. He's spent parts of a few seasons as a starter and will once again be one of the more competent backups in the league.
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Chargers' Taylor Heinicke: Gets limited work as backup
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Heinicke saw spot duty in four regular-season games in 2024, completing three of five pass attempts for 28 yards and also rushing two times for 20 yards.
Heinicke's lack of work was expected, as long as the Chargers' starting quarterback, Justin Herbert remained healthy. The 31-year-old joined the franchise late in training camp due to a trade with the Falcons and ultimately won the backup job from Easton Stick. With Heinicke set to be an unrestricted free agent, he may find himself in a different uniform next season.
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Chargers' Taylor Heinicke: Joins Bolts via trade
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The Chargers acquired Heinicke from the Falcons on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports.
Heinicke was the odd man out in Atlanta's quarterback room, where both Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix stood firmly above him on the depth chart. He now joins a Los Angeles team that will feel more secure with a more proven option behind Justin Herbert (foot), who recently returned to 7-on-7 work while recovering from a plantar fascia injury. Herbert is expected to be ready for Week 1, but if the Chargers have any concerns about his recovery timetable, Heinicke and Eason Stick could both be in the mix as backup options. Stick is familiar with the offense and looked fine in limited action in 2023, but Heinicke is the more experienced signal-caller, having started 28 games over the last three seasons.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Struggles in exhibition opener
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Heinicke completed four of 11 passes for 11 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions and netted no gain on two carries in the Falcons' 20-13 preseason loss to the Dolphins on Friday night. He also fumbled once but recovered.
Heinicke was the second quarterback in after rookie eighth overall pick Michael Penix, entering the game with 6:34 remaining in the second quarter. The veteran signal-caller was partly victimized by playing with second- and third-string offensive linemen and skill players, helping explain his forgettable passing line. Nevertheless, Heinicke appears to still have a clear lead in his battle with recent arrival Nathan Rourke for the No. 3 quarterback job, and both players should once again see time in the Falcons' second exhibition game Aug. 17 against the Ravens.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Accepts pay cut
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Heinicke took a pay cut in March to stay with the Falcons, reducing his $5 million base salary to $1.21 million, ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein reports.
He also converted a $1.32 million roster bonus to a signing bonus and agreed to remove the $40,000 per-game roster bonuses from his contract. He's left with $2.53 million in real-money compensation for the second and final year of his deal, with a $4.53 million cap hit. Heinicke is in excellent position for the backup QB role behind Kirk Cousins, after Desmond Ridder was traded to Arizona for Rondale Moore in mid-March. The Falcons still have time to bring in competition, but it may not be a priority given that Heinicke's track record suggests he's qualified for the second spot on the depth chart. They'll at least need to bring in a camp arm or two, seeing as Cousins and Heinicke are the only QBs on the roster at the beginning of April.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Listed as emergency QB
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Heinicke (ankle) is inactive for Sunday's matchup against the Saints, but he'll operate as the emergency quarterback, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Heinicke was deemed questionable after logging three limited sessions during Week 18 prep but will ultimately be inactive for the regular-season finale due to an ankle injury he aggravated versus Chicago in Week 17. He started the season as Desmond Ridder's backup, but Heinicke eventually claimed a starting role and appeared in five games this season, completing 54.5 percent of his passes for 890 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. Ridder will start versus New Orleans, while Logan Woodside is the primary backup. If both Ridder and Woodside are forced out of Sunday's game due to injuries, Heinicke would be eligible to play, though it's unclear how mobile he'd be given his lower-body injury.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Gets questionable tag for Week 18
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The Falcons list Heinicke (ankle) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Saints, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Heinicke has been a limited participant in practices this week after he was forced out of this past Sunday's loss to Chicago after aggravating a left ankle injury. The 30-year-old could be shaping up as a true game-day decision for Week 18, as head coach Arthur Smith said the quarterback would go through a workout Sunday before a determination on his status is made ahead of the game's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. If Heinicke can't play in New Orleans, Desmond Ridder would presumably step in as the Falcons' starting signal-caller.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Another limited practice
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Heinicke (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Amna Subhan of the Falcons' official site reports.
Heinicke exited late during this past Sunday's loss at Chicago, and the reason for the decision was revealed to be an ankle injury by coach Arthur Smith on Monday, per Tori McElhaney of the team's official site. Atlanta is hoping to know by Friday whether or not Heinicke will be able to play Sunday in New Orleans, but consecutive capped sessions to kick off the week has yet to shed any light on the situation. In the meantime, the team is preparing Desmond Ridder to start if needed this weekend, and Friday's injury report will reveal if Heinicke enters it with a designation or cleared to suit up.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: In line for limited practice
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Heinicke (ankle) will be a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
The fact that Heinicke is slated to practice in any capacity to open Week 18 prep offers hope that the quarterback could play in Sunday's regular-season finale against the Saints. However, ift Heinicke is deemed unavailable this weekend while he tends to a left ankle injury, Desmond Ridder would draw the start in the Falcons' must-win contest.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Could miss Week 18 with ankle issue
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Heinicke still is dealing with an ankle injury but will try to be ready to play Week 18 against New Orleans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Per Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site, Heinicke was pulled in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to Chicago because he aggravated the ankle injury that limited him in practice throughout the week. Head coach Arthur Smith said the quarterback "will do everything he can to play" against the Saints this Sunday, but there appears to be some doubt about his ability to suit up for that contest, and the team is planning to prepare Desmond Ridder to play "just in case." Heinicke's level of activity during Week 18 prep should provide more insight about his chances of taking the field against New Orleans in a contest the Falcons must win to have a chance at a postseason berth.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Benched late in Week 17 loss
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Heinicke completed 10 of 29 passes for 163 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions while adding four rushes for 46 yards and a score in the Falcons' 37-17 loss to the Bears on Sunday.
Heinicke's highly inefficient afternoon was punctuated by constant mistakes, although he was able to partly salvage his fantasy afternoon with his two scores. The journeyman signal-caller hit Tyler Allgeier for a 75-yard touchdown on which the running back did a great deal of the work, and he added a 24-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter. However, after his third interception led to Chicago's final touchdown, Heinicke was given an early seat in favor of Desmond Ridder. With Atlanta still mathematically alive for the postseason heading into a Week 18 road matchup against the Saints, it remains to be seen who'll be under center for the Falcons.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Ready to take on Bears
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Heinicke (ankle) was a full participation in Friday's practice and does not carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Bears, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.
Heinicke was limited during practice Wednesday and Thursday due to an ankle injury, but he's now cleared and fully on track to start on the road in Chicago. He'll look to take advantage of a vulnerable Bears secondary after having gone 23-for-33 passing for 229 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions against the Colts in Week 16.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Dealing with ankle issue
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Heinicke was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Amna Subhan of the Falcons' official site reports.
In his second stint as the Falcons' starting quarterback this season, Heinicke led the team to a 29-10 win this past Sunday against the Colts while completing 23 of 33 pass attempts for 229 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions to go with two carries for 10 yards. Wednesday's practice restrictions may be maintenance-based, but his status now will be watched as the week goes on to get a sense of if he may head into Sunday's game at Chicago with an injury designation.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Week 16 Waiver Priority List
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The Falcons are benching Desmond Ridder and going with Heinicke in Week 16 against the Colts, and Heinicke could start for the rest of the season as Atlanta is trying to get into the playoffs. He's not an option in one-quarterback leagues, but Heinicke could be useful in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues against the Colts. He started and finished one game this season in Week 9 against Minnesota and scored 16.7 Fantasy points, and he should be in that range in Week 16 against the Colts.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Being considered for Week 16 start
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Coach Arthur Smith said Monday that he's mulling a change in quarterback from Desmond Ridder to Heinicke, but the Falcons have yet to name a starter for Sunday's game against the Colts, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Heinicke has made two starts this season, but Ridder had reclaimed the starting job prior to this past Sunday's 9-7 loss to the Panthers. Poor weather conditions played a part in the game's low-scoring nature, but Ridder contributed to the losing result with a red-zone interception. Smith added that third-stringer Logan Woodside isn't in contention to start Week 16 against the Colts. How the practice reps are divided between Heinicke and Ridder could provide a clue as to which quarterback will be named the starter.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Questionable for Sunday
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Heinicke (hamstring) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against New Orleans, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
He'll only be the backup even if he plays, with coach Arthur Smith announcing earlier this week that Desmond Ridder will return to the starting QB role and could stay there for the rest of the season. Heinicke finally got his shot in November, but he struggled in his three appearances -- all losses -- and came out of the third game with a hamstring injury. He's still not 100 percent after a Week 11 bye, potentially giving Logan Woodside a chance to step up to the backup QB job for a game or two.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Set for limited practice
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Heinicke (hamstring) will be a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Heinicke practicing in any capacity can be viewed as positive news after Joe Patrick of 92-9 The Game Atlanta reported Monday that the quarterback was unlikely to take part in practice leading up to Sunday's game against the Saints. Before the team's Week 11 bye, Heinicke drew starts Week 9 against Minnesota and Week 10 against Arizona, but he left the latter game due to a hamstring injury. Desmond Ridder has been named the starting quarterback for Week 12, so even if Heinicke is ultimately healthy enough to suit up Sunday, he would be available strictly in a backup capacity.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Unlikely to practice Week 12
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Heinicke (hamstring) isn't expected to practice this week, Joe Patrick of 92-9 The Game Atlanta reports.
While making his second consecutive start in the Falcons' Week 10 loss to the Cardinals, Heinicke was knocked out of the game early due to a hamstring strain and is still in recovery mode following a Week 11 bye. Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reported over the weekend that the Falcons were planning on restoring Desmond Ridder as their starting quarterback coming out of the bye week, so Heinicke will be limited to a backup role Sunday against the Saints even if he gets the green light to suit up this weekend. The hamstring strain might have been a factor in Heinicke being demoted to the backup role, though he didn't help his case for hanging onto the starting job by completing 29 of 53 pass attempts for 323 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Falcons losses to the Vikings and Cardinals.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Not returning Sunday
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Heinicke (hamstring) won't return to Sunday's game at Arizona, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.
Prior to his departure in the fourth quarter, Heinicke had completed eight of 15 passes for 55 yards and one touchdown while rushing four times for 34 yards. Desmond Ridder took over under center for Heinicke. With a Week 11 bye on tap, the Falcons don't play again until Sunday, Nov. 26 against the Saints.
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Falcons' Taylor Heinicke: Starting again in Week 10
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Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said Heinicke will remain the team's starting quarterback for Sunday's game against Arizona, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.
Heinicke was serviceable in his first start of the season in Sunday's 31-28 loss to the Vikings, completing 21 of 38 passes for 268 yards, one touchdown and one interception, despite not having top wideout Drake London (groin) at his disposal. The veteran signal-caller will have another chance to make his case for a more permanent spot atop the depth chart Week 10, but Smith said that the Falcons will evaluate the position over the Week 11 bye. Heinicke's Week 9 performance didn't represent a significant improvement over what Desmond Ridder had offered through the Falcons' first eight games, so Heinicke will likely need to display better results against the Cardinals if he hopes to solidify his role for the second half of the season.
