Who Should I Start? Taylor Heinicke or Easton Stick

Tuesday, April 2, 2:21 PM

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke took a pay cut recently from an expected $5 million base salary in 2024 to $1.21 million, according to Roster Management System. His $1.32 million roster bonus, which was due just after the league year began last month, was instead classified as a signing bonus. His $40,000 per game active roster bonus was also removed from his contract. The reduction in his deal lowers Heinicke's salary cap number from $8.96 million to $4.53 million, including a cash value of $2.53 million. If Atlanta were to release him, he would cost $3.32 million in dead money with only a cap savings of $1.21 million. The 31-year-old got a chance to start in 2023 when Desmond Ridder was benched, but Heinicke did nothing to separate himself and also got hurt. He'll enter 2024 as the backup to starter Kirk Cousins.

Friday, March 15, 3:47 PM

The Los Angeles Chargers are re-signing quarterback Easton Stick, according to NFL insider Mike Garafolo. The former fifth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State played in five games last year after Justin Herbert (finger) went on Injured Reserve with a broken finger. In those games, Stick posted 1,129 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. He reportedly drew interest from multiple teams on the open market, but he landed back with L.A. under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. Even if Herbert goes down this season for any length of time, Stick will have limited fantasy upside following the team's release of Mike Williams and trade of Keenan Allen to the Bears.