Who Should I Start? Taylor Heinicke or Cam Ward

Thursday, March 13, 9:30 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers and backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke agreed to a one-year contract extension worth up to $6.2 million on Thursday, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Heinicke will return to L.A. for a second season to back up starter Justin Herbert. In his first year with the Chargers in 2024, Heinicke only saw action in four games (no starts) and went only 3-for-5 for 28 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. The 31-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion has already played for five different NFL teams in his seven years in the league. His best year came in 2021 with the Washington Commanders, when he played in 16 games (15 starts) and threw for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Heinicke has started 29 games in his seven seasons, but he's unlikely to see much work again in 2025 behind Herbert, who is one of the toughest QBs in football.

Wednesday, May 21, 7:15 PM

Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com reports that the Tennessee Titans have signed quarterback Cam Ward to his rookie deal. The first overall pick of April's draft inked a four-year, $48.75 million contract with a $32.1 million signing bonus. Though the Miami alum has been splitting reps evenly with teammate Will Levis thus far in the offseason, there is little reason to believe he won't be able to overtake him come the start of the year. It isn't guaranteed, but unless Levis has significantly improved since his playing time last season, the draft capital and talent will likely prevail. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect Ward to impact fantasy lineups immediately, but if he opts to scramble often early on, it would be a big boost to his floor.