EL SEGUNDO — Taylor Heinicke was seated on his couch watching the Netflix documentary about the University of Michigan sign-stealing scandal when the phone rang. Heinicke learned he had been traded to the Chargers from the Atlanta Falcons and that he’d be playing for former Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh.
Heinicke laughed when he told the story Monday, his first practice with his new team after a whirlwind week of cross-country trips for the veteran backup quarterback that began with news that he had made the Falcons’ initial 53-man roster last week and continued with last Thursday’s trade.
The trade wasn’t entirely unexpected.
After all, the Falcons already had one established quarterback in Kirk Cousins and another promising rookie in Michael Penix Jr. So, for Heinicke, making the 53-man roster was something of a surprise, something to celebrate with his girlfriend as they watched the Michigan documentary.
“Oh, that’s funny, I was just watching Jim Harbaugh,” Heinicke said of a phone call with Falcons coach Raheem Morris, letting him know he had been traded to the Chargers. “Four hours later, I’m on a flight to L.A., and I get here around midnight. Next day, physicals all day. Fly back to Atlanta, pack up all my stuff.
“It’s been a busy four days.”
Now comes the hard part or the fun part, depending on your point of view.
Heinicke’s adjustment to a new team had only just begun Monday. His job might seem simple on the surface, backing up standout Justin Herbert. The game itself might not seem all that complex, either, but the terminology and the schemes might be a little difficult to grasp from team to team.
This isn’t the 31-year-old Heinicke’s first change of address, though.
He was strictly a backup with Houston, Carolina and Washington in his first three seasons in the NFL, after a standout career at Old Dominion. He then became an unexpected starter one game into the 2021 season, taking over for injured starter Ryan Fitzpatrick in the first half of the Chargers’ 20-16 victory over Washington in Week 1.
Heinicke completed 11 of 15 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown against the Chargers. He completed 65% of his passes for 3,419 yards with 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 16 games during the 2021 season. He made nine starts for Washington in 2022 and four last year with Atlanta.
Now, he’s a Chargers backup, bolstering their quarterback depth behind Herbert.
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“It’s a small world,” Heinicke said. “I didn’t expect Justin to know me from that game (back in 2021), but he does. It is kind of crazy because that was the game that projected me into a better career. I played that whole season and then the next season nine games then four last year, but that kind of started it all.”
DICKER’S PAYDAY
One of Cameron Dicker’s first phone calls after he agreed to a four-year, $22 million contract extension on Friday was to long snapper Josh Harris. Dicker, Harris and punter/holder JK Scott formed the core of the Chargers’ special teams unit the past two seasons, so it was natural to reach out and say thanks for the help.
“It’s really cool,” Dicker said Monday of his extension, which will keep him in a Chargers uniform through the 2028 season. “It shows that the hard work was worth it. I’ve had the privilege of working with some awesome dudes. Big hugs today. We’ll celebrate one of these days.”
ROSTER MOVES
The Chargers signed cornerback Shawn Wade and wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick to the practice squad and released wide receiver Cornelius Johnson and outside linebacker Andrew Farmer II from the practice squad.
