Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris made it clear the team needed better quarterback play for the 2024 season. The Falcons traded away a quarterback that Morris partially blamed for the failed regime of former head coach Arthur Smith.
The Atlanta Falcons overhauled their QB room this offseason
The Falcons spent valuable resources this offseason overhauling the quarterback room. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a $180 million deal for four seasons. A little more than a month later, the Falcons selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 pick in the draft.
Those decisions were made after Morris used his pulpit at the scouting combine to blame Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke for the Falcons’ poor performance in 2023.
“If we had better quarterback play, I’m probably not standing here at this podium,” Morris said in February.
Ridder was the Falcons’ primary starter last season. The Falcons traded Ridder to the Arizona Cardinals for wide receiver Rondale Moore this offseason. (Moore suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason.) Heinicke played in five games and started in four games when Ridder struggled early in the regular season.
Heinicke stayed with the Falcons through training camp but won’t be on Morris’ team for the regular season.
The Falcons traded Taylor Heinicke to the Los Angeles Chargers
According to Dianna Russini with The Athletic, the Falcons traded Heinicke to the Chargers in exchange for a conditional sixth-round pick.
The Falcons only have quarterbacks Cousins and Penix on the roster. The Falcons did not sign a quarterback to the practice squad on Wednesday.
Heinicke went 20/44 for 206 yards in the preseason. He’ll join a Chargers team that needed a legitimate No. 2 quarterback behind Justin Herbert. The Chargers have quarterbacks Herbert, Heinicke, and Easton Stick on their 53-man roster.
At 31, Heinicke has appeared in 38 games and started in 29 for his NFL career. The undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion is 13-15-1 as a starter. Heinicke is 604/966 passing for 6,635 yards, 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions. He started for the Washington Commanders in their Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2021 season.
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