Player News

• Chargers' Taylor Heinicke: Comes in for injured Herbert

  09/22/2024 • By RotoWire

  Heinicke completed his only two passes for 24 yards in Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Steelers after entering the game midway through the third quarter in place of the injured Justin Herbert (ankle). Though he attempted just two passes over a quarter and a half of action, Heinicke took sacks on three of his other dropbacks. Both of the Chargers' starting tackles, Rashawn Slater (pectoral) and Joe Alt (back), suffered injuries Sunday, which didn't help Heinicke's chances of leading the Chargers to a win, even though Herbert departed with the game tied at 10. Given that Herbert was listed as questionable heading into Sunday before aggravating his right high-ankle sprain, the Chargers may be inclined to take a more cautious approach with their franchise signal-caller heading into the Week 4 matchup with the Chiefs. If that's the case, Heinicke could be the preferred choice to step in as a starter rather than Easton Stick, who struggled during the preseason and ultimately wasn't called upon off the bench to replace Herbert in Sunday's contest, despite being active for the contest.

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• Chargers' Taylor Heinicke: Joins Bolts via trade

  08/28/2024 • By RotoWire

  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

  08/10/2024 • By RotoWire

  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

  04/02/2024 • By RotoWire

  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

  01/07/2024 • By RotoWire

  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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