Falcons agree to terms with Gwinnett County native Taylor Heinicke

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons signed Lawrenceville native Taylor Henicke to a two-year contract, according to multiple reports.

Henicke, who figures to compete with Desmond Ridder for the Falcons’ starting quarterback job agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $20 million, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelisserro.

Henicke started 24 regular season games over three seasons with the Washington Commanders, beginning in 2020 and has proven to be a solid starter.

In three seasons, Heinicke combined threw 31 touchdowns and had 22 interceptions, and had a 12-11-1 record as a starter.

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In 2020, an injury to Washington quarterback Alex Smith put Henicke into action in the playoffs against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Henicke impressed in that game, throwing for 306 yards, losing a competitive game against the eventual champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Henicke starred at Collins High School in Suwanee and was named The Old Spice Player of the Year for the state of Georgia in 2010.

Henicke played his college ball at Old Dominion from 2011 to 2015, before going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft.

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Last season, the Falcons started Marcus Mariota for 13 games, until he was benched for rookie Desmond Ridder with four games left in the season. Mariota has since been released.

Atlanta holds the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and could still look to add another young quarterback to its roster to pair with Henicke Ridder either with that pick or later in the draft.

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