3 Most Likely Taylor Heinicke Free Agent Destinations

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

The best storyline to emerge from the NFC Wild Card matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Football Team was the play of quarterback Taylor Heinicke. This is a player who was signed to Washington's practice squad a month ago, but just changed the course of his career.

He ended up going toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in a playoff game. Only a handful of quarterbacks can make that same statement. Heinicke heads into this offseason as a free agent and will now have some interest from NFL teams in need of help at the QB position.

With that being said, here are the three most likely free agent destinations for Taylor Heinicke.

1. San Francisco 49ers

There are reports that Kyle Shanahan wants to move on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppollo if better options present themselves. While Heinicke is not a guaranteed star player, bringing him in to compete for the starting role wouldn't be a bad idea for the 49ers. At the worst, Shanahan has a capable backup for a quarterback who has had his own fair share of injuries. San Francisco is one of the most balanced teams in regards to offensive playcalling and that could really help Heinicke develop as he learns the ropes in the NFL. This is the type of move that doesn't break the bank, but provides depth at a position teams are always looking to strengthen.

2. New York Jets

It is no question that the New York Jets are a wild card when to comes to the upcoming offseason. No one truly knows what their plans are. Signing Heinicke would be one way the Jets can give quarterback Sam Darnold some competition while also keeping the team's second overall pick in the 2021 draft. Plus, while Heinicke likely wants to be a starter, there is no reason he couldn't head into training camp and overtake the role from Darnold. The Jets finished the season averaging 174.8 passing yards per game, which ranked as the second-lowest total in the NFL. Addressing the quarterback position is a major need from them in the coming months.

3. Washington Football Team

It would make a lot of sense to see Heinicke re-sign with the Washington Football Team and compete to be their starter next season. He has already publicly stated his love for Head Coach Ron Rivera and Washington had one of its best offensive games of the season with Heinicke taking the snaps. Washington started four different quarterbacks this season and likely will not want to have to go through something like that again. Heinicke likely will not cost much to sign and Washington is among the top teams in the league when it comes to cap space available next season. A reunion is definitely not out of the question here.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.