![]() Heinicke in 2022 | |||||||||||||
No. 8 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S. | March 15, 1993||||||||||||
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) | ||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2015 | ||||||||||||
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 2023 | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
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 the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. He also played for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL.
In 2020, Heinicke filled in for Washington, to replace an injured Alex Smith, in a playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He later started the majority 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.[1][2][3]