The Los Angeles Chargers have reportedly made a decision on quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The veteran signal-caller has been released by the Colts on Tuesday, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.
Heinicke's release leaves Justin Herbert and Trey Lance in the Chargers' QB room. Herbert is entering his sixth season in the NFL, while Lance is embarking on a new chapter in his NFL career. Lance spent his first two seasons in the league with the San Francisco 49ers before finding his way to the Dallas Cowboys. He was inked to a one-year contract worth $2 million with Los Angeles in April, and will serve as insurance behind Herbert in the 2025 NFL campaign.
The 32-year-old Heinicke joined the Chargers in the summer of 2024, when he was traded to Los Angeles by the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He appeared in four games (zero starts) for the Chargers last season, passing for just 28 yards and a first down on three pass completions.
So far in his NFL career, Heinicke has 6,663 passing yards and 39 touchdowns against 28 interceptions across 42 appearances (29 starts) for several teams. He started his NFL career in 2015, when he signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings after going unselected in that year's NFL draft. He was released by the Vikings two years later before joining the New England Patriots' practice squad.
Heinicke did not last long in Foxborough, as he later found himself joining the Houston Texans and then the Carolina Panthers. He also had a stint in the XFL with the St. Louis Battlehawks before inking a deal with the Washington Commanders in 2020. His break came in 2021, when the Commanders placed Ryan Fitzpatrick on the injured reserve. The former Old Dominion football quarterback threw for 3,419 passing yards and 20 touchdowns with 15 interceptions across 16 appearances that season.
It remains to be seen whether the Chargers will add another QB as a third-stringer and if they would reunite with Heinicke, who could still rejoin LA for at least a practice squad gig. In any case, Los Angeles is ready to roll with Herbert and Lance, as they prepare for a Week 1 game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 5.
