The Los Angeles Chargers are maintaining consistency in their quarterback room behind Justin Herbert. After a brief deliberation period, the Chargers will bring back veteran Taylor Heinicke in free agency for a second season with the team.
Heinicke will return to Los Angeles on a one-year, $6.2 million deal, per Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. The deal will be a slight pay decrease from his annual salary in 2024, which was the second half of a two-year, $14 million contract he originally signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023.
Heinicke, who turns 32 on Saturday, appeared in just four games in 2024. With Herbert starting all 18 games, Heinicke was solely used as a reserve, completing three of his five pass attempts for 28 yards on the year.
Though previously a starter for the Washington Commanders, Heinicke is widely regarded as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. His veteran leadership is unanimously respected, as is his acceptance and gratitude for the role. Heinicke has previously called the backup quarterback position “one of the best jobs in America.”
“Obviously I wanna be a starter next year but being a backup QB in the NFL is probably one of the best jobs in America”
Taylor Heinicke #PMSinAZ pic.twitter.com/kYLBQ42xph
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 9, 2023
In signing Heinicke, the Chargers opted to retain him as the backup quarterback over Easton Stick. Both Heinicke and Stick, Herbert’s two backups in 2024, entered free agency, but only the former appears to be returning in 2025. Stick, 29, has been with the team since they drafted him with a fifth-round pick in 2019.
Chargers bring back familiar faces in free agency
Retaining Heinicke was far from the only move the Chargers made in free agency to prioritize consistency. Ahead of Jim Harbaugh’s second year, Los Angeles also re-signed Khalil Mack and welcomed Mike Williams back to the organization.
Both Mack and Williams return to the team on one-year deals. Mack is coming off a six-sack season, while Williams led the team in receiving yards in 2021 and 2022. Williams has never previously played for Harbaugh but spent the first seven years of his career with the Chargers before leaving in the 2024 offseason.
The Chargers also added cornerback Benjamin St. Juste to their secondary. St. Juste has spent his entire four-year professional career with the Commanders but has a prior connection to Harbaugh. Though he was drafted by Washington out of Minnesota, he spent his freshman year of college with Harbaugh at Michigan.
Other key free agency signings include running back Najee Harris, cornerback Donte Jackson and defensive tackle Da’Shawn Hand. Mack’s $18 million extension is the team’s biggest deal thus far, but they still have a decent amount of money to use before calling it a day.
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