Taylor Heinicke is sticking in Los Angeles for at least one more season. The quarterback has signed a one-year deal with the Chargers, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. The deal is worth up to $6.2MM.

Heinicke made a name for himself in 2021, when he guided the Commanders to a 7-8 record in his 15 starts. Despite his solid showing, he entered the 2022 campaign as a backup to Carson Wentz. Predictably, the new starter eventually went down with an injury, allowing Heinicke to start another nine games for Washington.

After finishing his Commanders stint with 33 touchdowns vs. 21 interceptions, he inked a two-year contract with his hometown Falcons ahead of the 2023 season. The free agent addition was expected to provide former third-round pick Desmond Ridder with some competition, but Heinicke got only four starts for Atlanta, going 1-3 while completing a career-low 54.4 percent of his passes.

The veteran took a pay cut from $5MM to $1.21MM to stick in Atlanta for 2024, but in the meantime, he was pushed further down the depth chart following the additions of Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr.. As a result, Heinicke found himself on the trade block, and he was dealt to the Chargers for a conditional seventh-round pick before the start of the 2024 regular season.

Justin Herbert was limited to 13 games in 2023, but the Chargers franchise QB managed to get into all 17 games for his squad in 2024. As a result, the new backup was limited to only four appearances and five pass attempts. The organization is surely hoping for similar usage in 2025, but they can rest easy knowing they have a former starter locked in as their QB2.