For the first time in the last five years, the Atlanta Falcons have some optimism. In three straight seasons, the team has gone 7-10 and missed the playoffs. Now, the team has a QB they hope can take them to the playoffs in Kirk Cousins. To the surprise of many, the Falcons went and drafted QB Michael Penix Jr. out of Washinton in the first round of the 2024 draft.
Before the draft, Taylor Heinicke likely thought he would be the backup. That all changed when the team drafted Penix Jr. Heinicke is a solid QB and he has trade interest from teams who want to add another signal caller. According to Eric Edholm of NFL.com, the Rams, Dolphins, and Chargers are listed as possible suitors for Heinicke. We’ll have to wait and see if the Falcons are willing to part with the 31-year-old.
Taylor Heinicke could be traded by the Falcons ahead of the 2024 season
Important note as teams construct their initial 53-man rosters:
NFL teams were informed that the NFLPA vetoed the revised Emergency 3rd Quarterback rule that would have allowed teams to elevate a bona fide QB from the practice squad an unlimited number of times.
So, the rule…
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 26, 2024
To start his NFL career, Taylor Heinicke went undrafted in 2015. He bounced back and forth between the NFL and XFL for several years. Being cut and waived multiple times. That didn’t stop Heinicke from trying to make it in the NFL. The first three seasons of his career in the NFL were spent with the Texans, Panthers, and the Commanders. In 2020, Heinicke signed a one-year deal worth less than $1 million. After his 2020 campaign, the team signed him to a two-year, extension for $4.75 million. Ryan Fitzpatrick was in line to start for Washington in 2021 but he was injured in the first game of the season.
Taylor Heinicke was his backup and he ended up playing in 16 games that season and made 15 starts. Heinicke was 7-8 in those 15 starts for Washington. In 2022, Heinicke started nine games for the Commanders and went 5-3-1. Ahead of the 2023 season, he signed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Falcons. Heinicke made four starts for the Falcons in 2023 and went 1-3. With the Falcons drafting Michael Penix Jr., Heinicke finds himself as the third QB on the depth chart. If the Falcons feel comfortable with Cousins and Penix Jr, the team could trade Heinicke to a team that’s desperate for a useable backup.
