When the Washington Commanders traded for quarterback Carson Wentz, it sent a pretty clear message to Taylor Heinicke.
While he might have started 15 games for the franchise last season, his chances of being the starting quarterback in 2022 were slim to none. And he appears to have accepted that.
Heinicke, who went 7-8 record as a starter last season, completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions, told reporters on Wednesday that he understands it would be pretty unrealistic to think he’s going to beat Wentz out for the starting job to start the year.
“I don’t think that’s an option,” Heinicke said in his Wednesday press conference. “You look at the NFL and at the end of the day, it’s kind of a business. If you’re paying someone $30 million and you’re paying someone else $2 million — you’re paying this guy $30 million to play, you know?
“Carson’s a great quarterback and you see it through OTAs and minicamp. And I hope he goes out there and succeeds. And again, my job is just to back him up. Hopefully, he’s on his deal, help him out in whatever way I can, and if for some reason he goes down, I’m ready to go play. That’s how I look at it. But, again, the NFL’s a business. You’re paying a guy a lot of money, you’re paying him money for a reason. He’s gonna go play.”
That’s a pretty honest assessment of the situation, though to be fair, Wentz hasn’t exactly proven that he has the ability to maintain his starting role once he’s gotten it. He lost his starting role in Philadelphia and only lasted one season with Indianapolis before they practically pushed him out the door. While Wentz is a sure thing to start the season, Heinicke better be ready to step in if it doesn’t go well.
[PFT]
