Heinicke completed his only two passes for 24 yards in Sunday's loss to the Steelers after entering the game late in the second half for Justin Herbert (ankle), who was spotted leaving the stadium in a walking boot. Heinicke technically attempted only two passes, but he dropped back far more only to be destroyed by the freight train that was the Steelers' defense. Both starting tackles Rashawn Slater (pectoral) and Joe Alt (back) appeared to suffer injuries in this one, so it's possible the Chargers could be extra cautious with their franchise quarterback, allotting more time for Heinicke to play in the coming weeks. The long-time veteran joined the team late in the preseason, but he came on in relief instead of multi-year backup Easton Stick, who struggled mightily in preseason action.
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Heinicke completed his only two passes for 24 yards in Sunday's loss to the Steelers after entering the game late in the second half for Justin Herbert (ankle), who was spotted leaving the stadium in a walking boot. Heinicke technically attempted only two passes, but he dropped back far more only to be destroyed by the freight train that was the Steelers' defense. Both starting tackles Rashawn Slater (pectoral) and Joe Alt (back) appeared to suffer injuries in this one, so it's possible the Chargers could be extra cautious with their franchise quarterback, allotting more time for Heinicke to play in the coming weeks. The long-time veteran joined the team late in the preseason, but he came on in relief instead of multi-year backup Easton Stick, who struggled mightily in preseason action.
Heinicke (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Panthers. The quarterback was traded to the Chargers for a conditional sixth-round pick Aug. 28 and sat out Week 1, too. Heinicke appears to be behind Easton Stick on the depth chart at the moment.
The Falcons traded Heinicke to the Chargers on Wednesday, 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, and he now joins a Los Angeles team that will feel more secure with proven options 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 last season, but Heinicke is the more experienced signal-caller, having started 28 games over the last three years.
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.
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 for 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 WR 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.
Heinicke is poised to drop to No. 3 on Atlanta's depth chart with the team slated to sign Kirk Cousins (Achilles), Michael Rothstein of ESPN reports. Cutting Heinicke would save the Falcons roughly $7 million against the cap, with just $2 million in dead money, a move that seems like a no-brainer in the wake of Cousins' signing. Even if Atlanta is concerned about its new franchise quarterback's Week 1 availability, the team still has Desmond Ridder under contract on his affordable rookie deal. Heinicke finished 2023 as the starter over Ridder, but both signal-callers were ultimately unimpressive. The Falcons will avoid paying Heinicke a $1.3 million roster bonus if he's cut or traded prior to March 17.
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.
Heinicke was also limited Wednesday, so his status for Sunday's contest versus New Orleans remains in question. The veteran quarterback was injured in the fourth quarter against Arizona in Week 10, though the issue was subsequently described as minor. Even if Heinicke is able to suit up Sunday, he's expected to return to a backup role behind Desmond Ridder.
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.