Heinicke has been with Washington for the last three seasons, making 24 starts. Tori McElhaney

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- The Falcons have signed quarterback Taylor Heinicke, the organization announced on Thursday. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo were the first to report on Tuesday morning.

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Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer provided greater context and details on Heinicke's contract terms.

Heinicke now joins Desmond Ridder and Logan Woodside in the Falcons quarterback room.

Ridder started the final four games of 2022 for the Falcons. Since the season ended, the topic of the quarterback position has been a hot button in Atlanta. When the Falcons parted ways with Marcus Mariota during the early days of the 2023 NFL Combine, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was -- of course -- asked about the future of the quarterback position in Atlanta. Fontenot said, then, that the Falcons were not in the business of anointing players in February. So, in layman's terms: He would not be naming Ridder the 2023 starting quarterback at the combine. Fontenot did say, though, that a priority this offseason would be to fill out the quarterback room around Ridder, bringing in competition for the young quarterback.

Heinicke spent three seasons with Washington playing in 26 games, making 24 starts, as a backup to the likes of Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Carson Wentz. Whether it was by necessity of injury to the starter or the starters performance lacking, Heinicke continuously stepped into a starting role throughout his three seasons with Washington. With those opportunities, Heinicke had a 64 percent completion rate, throwing for over 5,000 yards in three seasons. He threw 33 touchdowns during that time and was intercepted 21 times.

Originally from Lawrenceville, Ga., Heinicke went to high school at Collins Hill in Suwanee, just 20 minutes down the road from the Falcons facility in Flowery Branch.

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