Who Should I Start? Taylor Heinicke or Jaleel McLaughlin

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.

Monday, January 13, 10:50 AM

Denver Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin was a complete non-factor in the team's 31-7 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday on wild-card weekend. Like most of the season, Denver's backfield was stuck in the mud and couldn't get anything going to control the game, with rookie quarterback Bo Nix leading the team with 43 rushing yards on four carries. McLaughlin, who had been the leader of a committee backfield late in the season, had only two rushing attempts for minus-two yards while catching his only target for no gain. It was a dismal end to the 24-year-old's second season in the NFL. He finished with 113 carries for 496 yards (4.4 yards per carry) and only one rushing touchdown in 16 regular-season games while adding 24 catches for 76 yards and two more TDs through the air. Denver will surely look to upgrade their backfield in the offseason to give more help to Nix in 2025.