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Atlanta Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke.

Former Falcons quarterback Taylor Heinicke is retiring from football after a long and winding career in more than one league.

Heinicke shared the news publicly on Thursday night.

The quarterback’s stint in Atlanta was a short one — he signed with the Falcons as a free agent in 2023 after spending three seasons with the now-Washington Commanders. It marked a return home for Heinicke, who hails from Lawrenceville, GA.

He spent only a single season with the Falcons, playing in five games. He started in four of those contests.

Over that span, Heinicke threw for 890 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. He released a statement expressing his appreciation to all who supported him. Washington was the only team he directly mentioned, which isn’t surprising given how long he spent with that team in comparison to some of the others he was once in the fold with.

That also marked the height of his career, during which Heinicke went from a practically unknown player to one who was making NFL headlines for a period.

“For 25 years, I had the pleasure to play this great sport of football.. It has taught me a lot, not only about myself, but about life as well,” Heinicke wrote. “Many ups and downs throughout the years, but the ups outweigh the downs tenfold. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would’ve been able to live this life. Thank you to all who have supported me in this journey. Thank you all who have believed in me. And thank you to those who gave me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream. Excited for this next chapter of my life! And always, Go Skins!”

Taylor Heinicke’s Long And Winding Professional Football Career

Before he made the leap to the professional level, Heinicke played out his college football career with the Old Dominion Monarchs. He finished out there with a 73.2% completion rate, passing for 7,498 yards with 63 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

Heinicke, known for his rushing and improvisation ability, also posted 487 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 173 carries.

Heinicke went unselected in the 2015 NFL Draft, but was picked up by the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent shortly after. He served as the third-stringer after competing in a quarterback battle against Mike Kafka and Shaun Hill.

He was waived/injured by the Vikings in 2017 and placed on injured reserve, later released with an injury settlement.

From there, Heinicke continued to bounce around the league. He was signed by the New England Patriots‘ practice squad in September of 2017, only to be released on Oct. 9 of the same year. He joined the Houston Texans on the practice squad that November.

He saw his first NFL action on Christmas against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but suffered a concussion right after completing his lone passing attempt. The quarterback was released by the Texans in April of the next year.

The journey only continued from there, as Heinicke was signed by the Carolina Panthers just days later. He played in six games for the team after being claimed off waivers by Carolina before joining the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL for the 2020 season, before the league folded in April of 2020.

He did not see action in a game with the startup league. His stints with Washington, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Falcons ensued afterward in the final seasons of his career.

With all said and done, despite things not fully working out the way he wanted to, Heinicke should walk away with his head held high as the subject of a great underdog story.