The diminished and damaged Washington fans at FedEx Field chanted his name: “Heinicke! Heinicke!”
This was a departure from the typical chants you heard from the crowd: “Sell the team! Sell the team!”
That’s what Taylor Heinicke did in his short time on the roster. He made people forget for a moment that they invested their emotions in such a toxic sports franchise that they didn’t even have a name for it anymore.
In the brief time they were simply called the Washington Football Team — in 2020 and 2021 — Heinicke was their most beloved player.
He was not Jayden Daniels, whom I have often described as the sun by which all Washington Commanders planets revolve around. But he was a glimmer of light that occasionally shone in the darkness that engulfed this football team in Dan Snyder’s final years of ownership.
Heinicke, 33, announced his retirement from football last week.
“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 on his Instagram account. “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.”
Then he ended with this: “And always, Go Skins!”
Heinicke never played for the Washington Redskins. He did play for the Commanders in his final year in Washington in 2022. But he started that season as the backup to Carson Wentz, the broken quarterback brought in by coach Ron Rivera and who lasted seven starts before being injured, with Heinicke taking over for much of the rest of the season.
Heinicke would have memorable moments in that final year, including leading Washington to a 32-21 upset win over the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, Nov. 14, at Lincoln Financial Field. And there was his 2021 magic at home, in his first start after Ryan Fitzpatrick was hurt (turned out for the season), leading Washington to a comeback 30-29 win over the New York Giants by engineering the game-winning drive with less than two minutes remaining.
Heinicke’s Washington legacy was cemented nine months earlier in an empty home stadium, starting a wild-card playoff game against Tom Brady and the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers with COVID-19 restrictions.
Heinicke was the only option available for Washington, signed to the practice squad in December 2020 while he was sleeping on his sister’s couch in Atlanta and taking online college courses.
Washington lost 31-23, but gave the visiting Bucs a real scare, thanks to Heinicke, who completed 26 of 44 passes for 306 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His signature play came when he ran for a touchdown, diving at the pylon to barely score.
The Commanders should put Heinicke’s name on that Northwest Stadium end zone pylon permanently.
He created a remarkable piece of Washington football history for a backup quarterback, which is what he was — an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion in 2015 with the Minnesota Vikings who would spend time with the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, even the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL, before he found success in Washington. He started 24 games in 2021 and 2022, filling in for injured starters, and went 12-11-1 in those starts.
Heinicke parlayed his time in Washington into a two-year, $14 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons. He spent one season there, then played his final year with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024. He finished his NFL passing career with 39 touchdowns, 28 interceptions and 6,663 yards.
You won’t have to hold any bake sales for Heinicke. He scarfed $19 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac.
His time in Washington ignited passion and debate among fans because amid turmoil — name change, congressional investigation — Heinicke seemed to have a purity about him, free from the contamination.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn, who wasn’t even here when Heinicke was on the roster, was asked to offer some thoughts on his retirement announcement.
“I can remember remarking to him after a game,” Quinn said. “It might have even been at Carolina. I just spoke to the competitor of who he is and what he stands for.
“I can remember him as a first-time player coming up and competing against him. I said, ‘Man, you hang in there. Like you got a lot to offer.’ And like, he sure did. I think it’s kind of one of my favorite parts of the NFL because I like the competitive nature of people going for it. And I think he really represented that.”
In the poisonous well that was the Washington Football Team, that is an accomplishment that should be celebrated.
Catch Thom Loverro on “The Kevin Sheehan Show” podcast.
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