Taylor Heinicke
Heinicke in 2022 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 4 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | March 15, 1993 Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Collins Hill (Suwanee, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Old Dominion (2011–2014) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2015: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Taylor Heinicke (/ˈhaɪnɪki/ HIGH-nih-kee; born March 15, 1993) is an American professional football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Old Dominion Monarchs and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Heinicke has also been a member of the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Football Team / Commanders, and Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
In 2020, Heinicke filled in for Washington to replace an injured Alex Smith during a playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Heinicke later started most of the 2021 season following an injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick, setting the NFL record for the most completions by a quarterback in his first three starts in NFL history. Heinicke also started the majority of the 2022 season, after an injury to Carson Wentz. Heinicke has been cited as an underdog by teammates, fans, and the media due to his ability to lead teams to wins despite a perceived lack of size and natural arm talent.