Taylor Heinicke is the only quarterback with a contract other than Kirk Cousins, thus it looked likely that he would be with the team for the spring and summer when the Atlanta Falcons traded for Desmond Ridder. With the team’s restricted free agency expenditures following their initial spending binge and the awkward $9 million cap cost scheduled to hit the books, the question was whether he would do so with a restructured deal.
The response to that query? Indeed. More than Late last week, the Cap released updated figures, which indicate that Heinicke’s 2024 contract will see him count at almost half the original $9 million cap charge. In essence, Heinicke accepted a wage reduction to remain with the Falcons, but he did so in exchange for increased guaranteed money in the event that the team decides to let him go.
More than Jason Fitzgerald, the publisher of The Cap, informed us that the team had made the change long ago, even before Heinicke’s roster bonus was scheduled to be paid on the fifth day of the new league season. That makes sense in terms of providing Heinicke and the organization with some clarity regarding his status going into 2024 as well as giving the Falcons additional cap space (even though they haven’t really used that space).
When we contacted the team to inquire about their thoughts on the change to Heinicke’s contract, they declined to respond.
The 31-year-old Heinicke, a native of Georgia, relieved a struggling Desmond Ridder during several starts for the Falcons in the previous campaign. Heinicke, who only managed to throw five touchdowns against four interceptions and occasionally seemed strangely restricted to checkdowns, did not have a great game. As usual, Heinicke put in a strong running performance and occasionally found success as a passer through the muck and mire. Heinicke also struggled with injuries during his stint as the starter, which caused the Falcons to play musical chairs at quarterback in the latter stages of the game.
Regardless of how 2023 turned out for the seasoned quarterback, Raheem Morris recently referred to him as a “elite backup,” demonstrating how much the team appreciates his presence in the locker room and his prior work. Given that the Falcons will likely have an older quarterback coming off a major injury and a young quarterback on the way, Heinicke’s past performance as a reliable but inconsistent spot starter at least provides them with a capable and experienced player to ride out 2024, if not help them avoid potentially inserting a rookie into the mix.
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Heinicke’s future success, though, might hinge on the Falcons’ decisions in the draft. Heinicke might have to depend on the team retaining three quarterbacks if it selects Michael Penix of Washington, Spencer Rattler of South Carolina, or Bo Nix of Oregon in the second or third round. Heinicke is skilled and well-established enough to stay on whether they decide to invest in a late-round selection or just sign another free agent. The uncertainty is mirrored in Heinicke’s new deal, which means that if the team decides to cut him, it will be very simple (though not exactly inexpensive, since there will be a $3.3 million dead money hit compared to just over $1 million in savings). Naturally, if they decide to keep him around, he will also be an extremely affordable backup option.
The Falcons would be prudent to retain Heinicke as insurance and get a future option in the draft for Cousins, who is 36 years old and coming off a serious injury. Heinicke, who will cost the team roughly $4.5 million, has a track record as an NFL starter who has started 29 games, some of which are truly excellent. I’m sure he is eager to show that last year’s lackluster play was more a result of Arthur Smith’s lackluster passing game than of Heinicke’s skill.
Heinicke should be considered the Falcons’ backup quarterback going forward, given he was the only player to survive the fiery tire fire that was the quarterback situation in 2023.
