Last year’s QB2 carousel featured Taylor Heinicke collecting more guaranteed money than most reserve passers. Only Andy Dalton and Jacoby Brissett fetched more money at signing than Heinicke, who collected $6.32MM guaranteed on a two-year, $14MM deal.
Heinicke, who logged a few starts last season as Desmond Ridder struggled, remains with the team. The Atlanta native, however, is now tied to a much lower 2024 salary. Heinicke accepted a pay cut to stay with the Falcons, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein notes. As Atlanta transitions to its Kirk Cousins era, its backup will carry a lower cap number this coming season.
The Falcons trimmed Heinicke’s 2024 base salary from $5MM to $1.21MM. With Heinicke’s cap number now down to $4.53MM, this transaction will save the team nearly $4.5MM in cap space. With many teams filling their backup jobs already — one of them (the Cardinals) doing so by trading for Ridder — Heinicke did not have a host of options if he declined the pay cut. As it stands, he remains on track to be Cousins’ backup.
As the Falcons transition to Zac Robinson‘s Rams-influenced offense, they plan to add another quarterback to compete with Heinicke for the backup gig. While Cousins has been one of the NFL’s most durable players during this period, his October Achilles tear does make Atlanta’s QB2 job a bit more important than it otherwise would have been.
Heinicke, who operated as the Commanders’ starter for most of the 2021 season and kept Carson Wentz on the bench at points in 2022, has 30 career starts on his resume. That includes a close loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the 2020 wild-card round. Last season, the Falcons turned to Heinicke on multiple occasions. Despite showing tremendous confidence in Ridder during the 2023 offseason, Atlanta benched the 2022 third-round pick in Week 8 and again in Week 16. This led to four Heinicke starts. The final outing — a three-INT effort against the Bears — doomed Atlanta’s fleeting playoff hopes, swinging the door wide open for Arthur Smith‘s firing.
Heinicke, 31, only completed 54.4% of his throws last season. It would seem likely the Falcons use a draft choice to staff to add here, as Cousins is now tied to a $100MM practical guarantee. Cousins’ guarantees stretch into 2026. Heinicke’s deal will still expire after the season.
Heinicke is seriously underpaid this year. I’m not sure why Heinicke should have given up so much of his base pay to pad Kirk Cousins rich pay day. Someone would have signed Heinicke for more, this is a net loss for him unless Cousin gets injured early. Even in the best case, Heinicke won’t make any money replacing Cousins. Heinicke is a mathematician, I would have expected him to calculate more closely.
Who was going to pay him more than $4.5 million? It’s not like he’s someone you particularly want as a bridge quarterback, and this offseason it’s been cheap to acquire backup QBs with more upside if they have to start, like Howell or Fields.
I think Heinicke’s bonus was already guaranteed, so he would have walked out of Atlanta with $3 million in his pocket for this year. I’ve checked OTC. Between the two of them it’s confusing how much money Heinicke actually gave up (here it’s says $4 million but if his cap for this year was $7 million that’s impossible). $4 million + $4.5 million that you allege for this year is $9 million, not $7 million.
OTC is indeed a bit confusing here, but if his original deal was 2 years $14 million and he’s earned just under $7 million of it already according to OTC, then it would be $7 million. He took a $3.8 million haircut to his base salary, but still has the rest of his bonus.
Heinicke was awful last year after replacing Ridder, I think you overestimate his market.
I didn’t see Henicke last year. I remember his run for the Redskins, which included almost beating Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on their way to a Super Bowl and then beat them the next season.
Homie down bad. Or maybe he wants to stay home he was raised here and has close family here.
That’s a pretty significant slashing of salary. I know Heinicke disappointed to end the year, but most players probably wouldn’t face the music after that, threatened cut or not.
If Heinicke had been released, I’d bet that he’d still have a market, despite his struggles last year. At the end of the day, Heinicke is a backup who started and played in several games in the past season, and is not a threat to an established starter. This year figures to be another “year of the quarterback” with several changes at that position league-wide, but an experienced backup who isn’t a threat to wrest a starting job is what several teams could actually want. Teams with a young starter-or looking to get one-would probably have brought Heinicke in for a visit.
Hometown discount. Still good money for carrying clipboard and taking cpl snaps in practice.
Now Heinicke will be able to add failed trend setter to his resume alongside failed QB.
I’m sure the Falcons will give him more $$$ after the season if he steps in for an injured Cousins and plays well above the new salary.
Oh wait…