The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed to a trade with the Atlanta Falcons for quarterback Taylor Heinicke, a source confirmed to Kris Rhim of ESPN.

The Chargers will send the Falcons a conditional sixth-round pick, the source said.

This move wasn't a surprise. The Chargers have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Justin Herbert, but after he missed two weeks of training camp with a plantar fascia injury in his right foot, it was clear the backup quarterbacks were ill-prepared to keep the team afloat if Herbert's injury lingered.

Easton Stick, who is in his sixth season in the NFL, had been formidable in four games that Herbert missed last season with a right index finger fracture. It earned Stick a one-year contract from a new front office, but throughout training camp and the preseason, Stick didn't look like the player who started last season or one capable of leading the Chargers if Herbert went down with an injury.

In the Chargers' three preseason games, Stick finished 25-for-55 with 303 passing yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions.

"I don't think we're in a position to be comfortable," coach Jim Harbaugh said about the team's backup quarterbacks after the Chargers first preseason game. "I don't think anybody on the offensive side of the ball would be happy with that."

Heinicke, heading into his seventh season, has started 29 games over his career. As the full-time starter for the Commanders in 2021, he finished with 3,419 yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The Commanders finished 7-8 that year.

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