Who Should I Start? Teddy Bridgewater or Taylor Heinicke

Saturday, January 18, 6:55 PM

Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will serve as the backup QB for Saturday's playoff game against the Washington Commanders. The Lions have opted to have an experienced quarterback behind Jared Goff which leaves Hendon Hooker as the emergency option. Bridgewater retired from the league after the 2023 season to coach his alma mater high school team. He came out of retirement in late December and served as the emergency third string quarterback to end the season. He's unlikely to see the field with Goff healthy, but having Bridgewater's experience on the sideline is never a bad thing.

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.