Who Should I Start? Joe Flacco or Taylor Heinicke

Sunday, January 5, 9:11 PM

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Joe Flacco completed 23 of his 40 pass attempts for 264 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions during Sunday's Week 18 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime. His touchdown pass was a 40-yard completion to Alec Pierce in the first quarter. The 39-year-old was one of the more productive and most utilized backup quarterbacks in the NFL this season, racking up 1,761 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 turnovers through eight games. Flacco's future beyond the 2024 campaign remains undecided, but if he does choose to return for another year, he'll be an intriguing backup option in free agency. He could return to the Colts as the No. 2 option behind Anthony Richardson, but he'd likely generate interest from several other teams, too.

Wednesday, August 28, 8:22 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers are acquiring quarterback Taylor Heinicke from the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick. Not only is starting quarterback Justin Herbert (foot) recovering from plantar fasciitis in his foot, but backup Easton Stick regressed in training camp and the preseason. The 31-year-old Heinicke will be an upgrade at the QB position behind Herbert entering the regular season next week. In Atlanta, the Falcons were expected all along to try and trade Heinicke after taking rookie Michael Penix Jr. in the first round in April. Heinicke made his NFL debut back in 2017 with the Houston Texans and has appeared in 38 games (29 starts) since then with four different teams. His best year came in 2021 with Washington, when he threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 picks on 321 pass attempts over 16 games (15 starts).