The Atlanta Falcons surprised everyone around the NFL this offseason by signing Kirk Cousins then weeks later using a first-round pick on Michael Penix Jr. Now, NFL rumors have emerged that the Falcons want to trade one of their quarterbacks before Week 1.
There have been very positive reports coming out of Falcons training camp. Coming off a torn Achilles, Cousins looks outstanding in team drills and is impressing the coaching staff as a leader. While Penix isn’t receiving a ton of opportunities, he’s also flashed impressive physical tools during his practice reps.
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With the top two spots on the Falcons depth chart taken, former starter Taylor Heinicke doesn’t have much of a role in Atlanta. He could be an excellent third-string quarterback, which has some value for a team with a rookie signal-caller and a 36-year-old coming off a major injury. However, Atlanta seems to view him in a different light.
According to Josh Kendall of The Athletic, the Falcons coaching staff is “behaving like it would prefer to get some trade value for Taylor Heinicke” over keeping him as the third-string quarterback.
- Taylor Heinicke stats (ESPN): 604-for-966, 62.5% completion rate, 6,635 passing yards, 6.9 yards per attempt, 39-28 TD-INT ratio, 84.2 QB rating in 38 games (2017-’23)
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Heinicke, age 31, played in 5 games last season for Atlanta and his cap hit in 2024 ($4.53 million) is a relative bargain for a backup. Because of that, there are a few teams that could be quite interested in landing him.
Taylor Heinicke trade landing spots
There isn’t much of a path to a starting job with any NFL team right now. However, a trade would allow Heinicke to move up the depth chart. It would also be in the best interest of both he and the team acquiring him for a deal to happen before the regular season, which would give him time to learn the new offense.
- Los Angeles Chargers – The reports out of Los Angeles Chargers training camp on backup Easton Stick aren’t promising. That might now be a problem if Justin Herbert was healthy, but his plantar fascia injury is expected to linger into the regular season. Heinicke is a viable fill-in starter and acquiring him could allow Los Angeles to let their franchise quarterback rest for a few more weeks.
- Green Bay Packers: If Jordan Love goes down, the Green Bay Packers starting quarterback is Sean Clifford. That’s not a position any NFL team wants to be in. Heinicke wouldn’t single-handedly win a game as a fill-in starter, but he could take advantage of the talent on the Packers offense and not cost Green Bay a game if Love missed some time.
- Las Vegas Raiders: No team is in a worse spot at quarterback than the Las Vegas Raiders. The statement was true entering training camp and every Raiders practice adds more credibility. Las Vegas wouldn’t let Heinicke realistically compete for the starting job if he were acquired today. With that said, he’s good enough to take over if Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell keep struggling into the season.
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