Washington announced its two-year extension with Taylor Heinicke on Wednesday morning, and the quarterback called receiving his $8.75 million deal a good feeling.
“Everyone knows I was at home taking math classes,” Heinicke said, via the team website. “So for this contact to come, it’s a big sigh of relief. I’m really excited. This is the place I wanted to be, so everything came together pretty smoothly, and I’m really excited to be back.”
Heinicke had spent time with the Vikings, Patriots, Texans, Panthers, and the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks. He was taking online courses at Old Dominion before latching on with Washington late in 2020. Heinicke replaced Dwayne Haskins in the Football Team’s Week 16 loss to Carolina. And then he started the wild-card matchup with Tampa Bay when Alex Smith was unable to start due to a calf injury.
That’s when he really made his mark, finishing 26-of-44 passing for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception. he also rushed for 46 yards, including an eight-yard TD.
Washington was one of the teams reportedly interested in trading for Matthew Stafford before the Lions agreed to send him to the Rams — indicating the Football Team will be in the robust quarterback market this offseason. Plus, Alex Smith is still under contract, so Heinicke is going to have to compete for a larger role.
“I love the group of guys that we have here. I just feel like the chemistry is there, and that’s not something you find at every team, so I definitely wanted to be back in Washington,” Heinicke said. “Whether that’s playing, being a backup, anything; I’m just excited to be on the team.”