Buccaneers Urged To Add $17 Million Former Starting QB From NFC South Rival
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the entire offseason to improve their backup quarterback situation through either free agency or, more preferably, the 2025 NFL draft.
They could have had Shedeur Sanders after his stunning draft day fall to the fifth round. They could have presumably had their pick of free agents.
Instead, they signed longtime backup Kyle Trask to a 1-year, $2.78 million contract … then cut him. They signed aging backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who was coaching high school football last season before a late season call from the Detroit Lions.
Bridgewater appears to be Tampa Bay’s top option behind starter and 2-time Pro Bowler Baker Mayfield. Which should be terrifying for Buccaneers fans.
The only thing to do at this point is go over the available list of free agents and, for the love of God, please bring in just one of them to try and add depth behind Mayfield.
The best option right now seems to be Taylor Heinicke, who was just released by the Los Angeles Chargers and is a former starter for both the Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons.
Heinicke Could Be ‘Off Brand Baker Mayfield’
For any NFL team, the goal with a backup quarterback should be to put the best player there as humanly possible — and just behind that try to find a player who has a similar skill set to the starter.
In Heinicke, there might not be a better “off brand” version of Mayfield out there … can you actually see Mayfield out there if we squint and Heinicke plays out of his mind?
Heinicke’s experience and ability to adapt to seemingly any offense and any locker room has not only extended his NFL career, but continues to make him a valuable asset to NFL teams.
It’s made Heinicke valuable enough that Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put him at the top of his list of NFL quarterbacks who should be on the trade block at the start of training camp.
“Taylor Heinicke is a high-end backup teams should call about now,” Knox wrote. “The Los Angeles Chargers won’t be inclined to part with Justin Herbert’s understudy for cheap — Heinicke is fully capable of steering the offense for a week or two if needed—but he could become available. Heinicke, who was traded to the Chargers last August, is competing for the backup job with Trey Lance, who should have far more long-term backup potential. There doesn’t appear to be a clear QB2 just yet.”
Heinicke Could Be Competent Fill In For Bucs
Heinicke was the FCS National Freshman of the Year at Old Dominion in 2011 then won the Walter Payton Award as the nation’s best FCS player in 2012. He continued to shine as ODU transitioned from FCS to the FBS, playing as an independent in 2013 and in Conference USA in 2014.
In 9 seasons, Heinicke has approximately $17 million in career earnings and is 13-15-1. In that time, he has played for 8 different teams — 7 NFL teams sandwiched with one season for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks in 2020 — which included a playoff start for the Commanders in 2020 in which he put up 352 yards of total offense in a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.
Heinicke last started a game in 2023, when he went 1-3 for the Falcons.
