After failing to make the playoffs last season, the Atlanta Falcons are placing their hopes on Kirk Cousins to lead the team to the promised land. With his arrival, the team must now face the possibility of trading Taylor Heinicke to improve their chances.
After a successful college career at Old Dominion University, where he was a Walter Payton Award winner and FCS All-American, Taylor Heinicke signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He spent the next few years bouncing between the Vikings, New England Patriots, and Houston Texans, before joining the Carolina Panthers in 2018.
In 2020, Heinicke got his big break when he joined the Washington Commanders and was thrust into the starting role due to injuries. He impressed in a playoff game against the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, nearly leading Washington to an upset victory.
Heinicke started the majority of the 2021 season for Washington, setting an NFL record for most completions by a quarterback in their first three career starts. He maintained the starting job in 2022 after an injury to Carson Wentz.
Despite his perceived lack of physical tools, Heinicke has repeatedly proven himself as a resilient and capable NFL quarterback. He has been cited as an underdog by teammates, fans, and the media, but continues to defy expectations.
The Reason Why Atlanta Falcons Must Trade Quarterback Taylor Heinicke
With the season drawing near, the Falcons must find a way to optimize their roster before actually competing. In an NFL analysis by Ryan Fowler for Bleacher Report, the franchise can do so by trading Heinicke for a good reason.
“A former starter in Washington, Taylor Heinicke took a pay cut to stay with the Atlanta Falcons following the free-agent signing of Kirk Cousins. His cap hit of $4.5 million isn’t egregious for a backup QB, though he may not even fill that role in 2024.
A little more than a month after Cousins was signed, Atlanta used the eighth overall pick on quarterback Michael Penix Jr, who led Washington to national-title berth last winter.
Penix may be the future, but there’s no question as to how the depth chart will align, with Cousins at the top,” Fowler wrote.
A few months ago, Atlanta restructured his contract, reducing the quarterback’s base salary from $5 million to $1.21 million. This move saves the team around $4.4 million in cap space, which can be used to retain other key free agents or make roster improvements.
It remains to be seen whether Atlanta bites the bullet and trades Heinicke sooner than later. If they do, expect several teams to be interested in signing him up for the season.
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