Taylor Heinicke never took a regular season snap for the Minnesota Vikings, but once upon a time, he felt like an offshoot solution for the future. A decade later, Heinicke has decided to retire.

Minnesota never saw the full Heinicke story, but the old Vikings QB built one anyway.

Heincke didn’t sign anywhere for the 2025 season, a hint that he wouldn’t be back, and that suspicion was confirmed last week.

Heinicke’s Strange NFL Ride Started in Minnesota

It’s the end of the road for Heinicke after nearly 30 starts in the big leagues.

Heinicke Retires.

That’s a wrap for Heinicke. ESPN’s John Keim wrote Thursday, “Quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who became a fan favorite during his two-plus seasons with the Washington Commanders, announced the end of an improbable NFL career Thursday. Heinicke, 33, posted a message to Instagram thanking those who supported him throughout his seven-year NFL career in which he spent time with seven franchises — appearing in games for five of them.”

“Heinicke was released in August by the Los Angeles Chargers and went unsigned for the rest of the season. He played four games with the Chargers in 2024, attempting five passes.”

Heinicke personally noted on his decision, “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… Excited for this next chapter of my life.”

Time in MIN

The Vikings signed Heinicke as an undrafted free agent in 2015, where he eventually secured the QB3 job behind Teddy Bridgewater and Shaun Hill. He remained with Minnesota until September 2017, then played for the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, and Atlanta Falcons. His career also included a stint in the XFL with the St. Louis BattleHawks in 2020.

During his tenure in Minnesota, Heinicke became known for a notable off-the-field incident that severely hampered his career. He suffered a significant setback with the Vikings after he reportedly kicked through a glass door when locked out of a friend’s apartment, sustaining a serious leg injury. Consequently, he never played a regular season snap for the Vikings before the aforementioned departure to Houston in 2017.

Career Resume

Heinicke saw action in 42 career games from 2017 to 2024, with 29 starts, while his teams went 13-15-1 and his watch. He tallied 6,663 passing yards, 42 total touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. Per efficiency and according to EPA+CPOE, his best historical comparisons are Matt Cassel and Justin Fields.

Over a 17-start sample, Heinicke averaged this statline for context:

• 3,602 Passing Yards
• 25 Total TDs
• 16 INTs
• 62.5 Completion %

Here’s his full resume by team:

• Minnesota Vikings (2015–2017)
• New England Patriots (2017)
• Houston Texans (2017)
• Carolina Panthers (2018)
• St. Louis BattleHawks (2020)
• Washington Commanders (2020–2022)
• Atlanta Falcons (2023)
• Los Angeles Chargers (2024)

Best Memory?

Heinicke started one playoff game in his career. He led the Commanders in the postseason against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Tom Brady’s team — in the 2020 Wildcard Round, losing by a score of 31-23.

But in the contest, Heinicke looked like he belonged, delivering 306 passing yards and two touchdowns. The Commanders featured three other quarterbacks that season: Alex Smith, Dwayne Haskins, and Kyle Allen. By happenstance, Heinicke got the tap on the shoulder for the playoffs and damn near knocked off Brady’s Buccaneers.

Brady and Co. would eventually win the Super Bowl handily over the Kansas City Chiefs.

SI.com‘s Joanne Coley on Heinicke: “Heinicke’s football career was not easy. After a standout college career at Old Dominion University, he went undrafted in 2015 and spent several years bouncing around the league. He had short stints with the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, and Minnesota Vikings, mostly as a backup quarterback.”

“Everything changed later that year when Washington called him late in the season. Heinicke was unexpectedly thrust into the starting role for a playoff game against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite the loss, Heinicke delivered one of the most memorable performances fans would remember.”

The Vikings saw Heinicke a couple of years later when he led the Falcons — the game when Joshua Dobbs Mania took hold.

Coley added, “He threw for more than 300 yards, including a diving touchdown at the goal line that instantly became one of the franchise’s most iconic playoff moments. That game helped turn him into a fan favorite in Washington.”

“Heinicke started 15 games in 2021 and helped lead Washington to several key wins during his time with the team, including a 2022 Monday Night Football victory over the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.”

Heinicke also borrowed former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ chain gimmick in 2022:

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Players are not the only members of Ohio State football getting work done before the 2026 season.

On May 9, Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia posted a photo on Instagram in a neck brace and lying on a hospital bed, wearing his signature flat cap with a smile.

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“Off-season repairs aren’t just for players. Massive thanks to Dr Viljoen and the Neurological Specialty Care team for taking care of me. Incredible group! So blessed and thankful for you,” Patricia wrote in the post.

Patricia did not reveal details. He thanked Dr. Stephanus Viljoen, an Ohio State neurosurgeon specializing in spinal surgeries and back pain, according to his OSU profile.

Daniel Siebert will referee Paris Saint-Germain v Arsenal in the Champions League final in Budapest.

The German official has been appointed by the Uefa Referees Committee and will be tasked with officiating one of the biggest games in football at the Puskas Arena on Saturday, 30 May.

The 42-year-old has 11 years of experience since beginning his career in 2015 and brings experience from nine Uefa Champions League matches from this season alone.

Siebert was the referee in the quarter-final first leg between Sporting Lisbon and Arsenal, one of two games officiated this term with the Gunners, who ran out 1-0 winners on that night.

He was also in charge in the semi-final second leg between Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, another 1-0 win for the Gunners, which will appeal to Gunners fans ahead of the match.

Siebert is yet to show a yellow card to an Arsenal player, and has shown just three yellow cards across both matches. While he has also officiated one PSG match this season; the goalless draw at Athletic Bilbao in December, where he brandished four yellow cards.

Siebert averages more yellow cards on average overall, with 4.44 per game from nine games in the Champions League this term, according to Who Scored, and 0.22 red cards per game. That’s up from his Bundesliga average, from 15 games this term, with 3.20 yellow cards per game and 0.13 red cards per game.

Further experience comes from last year’s Uefa Europa League semi-final between Manchester United and Athletic Bilbao, and he also officiated two games at the Uefa Euro 2024 and three games at Uefa Euro 2020.​

Following Arsenal’s victory over West Ham, and the high-profile VAR incident that ruled out Callum Wilson’s equaliser for the Hammers, Mikel Arteta has publicly confessed his admiration for the pressure officials operate under.

Notably Chris Kavanagh and how he observed 17 replays over four minutes and 17 seconds before deciding to rule out the goal due to Pablo’s arm impeding David Raya.

“When I had to be critical, I have been,” Arteta told Sky Sports. “Today I have to congratulate them [VAR]. You needed a lot of courage and bravery to stand out and give the opportunity to the referee to have a look at the action.

“When you see the picture, there is no question that it is a clear foul. They were very brave. The action deserved that. In my opinion, it is very clear. They are the rules and we ask for consistency.”

Uefa Champions League final 2026 refereeing team

Referee: Daniel Siebert (Germany)

Assistants: Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn (both from Germany)

4th Official: Sandro Schärer (Switzerland)

Reserve AR: Guadalupe Porras Ayuso (Spain)

VAR: Bastian Dankert (Germany)

Assistant VAR: Robert Schröder (Germany)

VAR Support: Carlos Del Cerro Grande (Spain)

Punjab Kings batting-first XI: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (capt), Marcus Stoinis, Suryans Shedge, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Ben Dwarshuis, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

PBKS bench: Harpreet Brar, Yash Thakur, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Pravin Dubey

Delhi Capitals bowling-first XI: Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Sahil Parakh, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (capt), Madhav Tiwari, Mukesh Kumar, Auqib Nabi, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Starc

DC bench: Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Tripurana Vijay, Pathum Nissanka, Vipraj Nigam

Philadelphia 76ers star Tyrese Maxey was downcast after falling to the New York Knicks in Game 4 on Sunday night, leading to an early second-round playoff exit.

Maxey appeared to be more upset with the fan support.

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Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrese Maxey tries to get past New York Knicks’ Landry Shamet during the second half of Game 3 in a second-round NBA playoff series in Philadelphia on May 8, 2026. (Matt Slocum/AP)

Knicks fans swarmed the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia for both Games 3 and 4. They got a front-row seat to watch their team sweep their Atlantic Division rival. Knicks fans even went as far as infiltrating local news broadcasts in celebration.

Maxey spoke about the fans in his postgame press conference.

“It absolutely sucks, if I’m being honest. It just sucks,” he said, via SNY TV. “That’s really all I can say about it, man. It’s hard. It’s definitely difficult. It’s only one way to put a stop to it and it’s, we have to go out there and win these games.

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a free throw during the first half of Game 4 against the New York Knicks in the second round of the NBA playoffs in Philadelphia on May 10, 2026. (Matt Slocum/AP)

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“Just being completely honest, we were better when we played them in the Garden this entire season. I know we lost Game 2 and 1, but Game 2 was better. The regular season was better. I was telling them, it felt louder here for them than it did in the Garden.”

He said it was up to the team to drown out the noise.

“We got to put a stop to it as a team,” Maxey added. “Winning these games, that’s gonna make our fans louder than theirs or whatever. I don’t know how to keep them out. I don’t know the logistics of it, but it does suck. I can’t even lie. It definitely does suck.”

New York blew the doors off Philadelphia in Game 4 with a 144-114 win.

Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers defends Mikal Bridges of the New York Knicks during the first half of Game 4 in the second-round NBA playoffs in Philadelphia on May 10, 2026. (Matt Slocum/AP)

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It was the eighth time in the last nine playoff appearances that the 76ers haven’t at least made it to the Eastern Conference Finals. Philadelphia hasn’t gotten that far in the postseason since making the 2001 NBA Finals.

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A club with a long and proud tradition of homegrown players clinches their league title by beating their major rivals with a spectacular goal by Marcus Rashford. For Manchester United, it may have long seemed the dream. Although the reality is that the newly anointed champions are Barcelona, Rashford’s curling free-kick setting them on their way to a Clasico win over Real Madrid.

History for Rashford, becoming the first Englishman to win LaLiga with Barca, and joining what remains a select group to triumph with anyone, alongside Laurie Cunningham, David Beckham, Kieran Trippier and Jude Bellingham. If the circumstances were different, it would surely prompt Barcelona to take up the €30m option to turn his loan into a transfer.

Although, were the circumstances different, Rashford may not have got the move to Camp Nou he seemed to covet when his relationship with United broke down; the Catalan club were also interested in the costlier Luis Diaz and Nico Williams last summer. Rashford seemed like Plan C, available without an immediate transfer fee in part because of United’s inability to sell him.

He has nevertheless been a success as a high-calibre squad player, his outings split almost equally between starts and substitute appearances. A tally of 14 goals in 47 games is decent, if unexceptional. More impressive, though, is that he also has 14 assists, giving him 28 goal contributions, an average of one every 87 minutes on the pitch. There is an argument that Rashford has been flattered by the figures and, unlike United, Barcelona have been in Europe, but he has as many goal involvements this season as Bruno Fernandes.

Which, in its own way, may offer an insight into what United are missing. Though arguably not missing too much, given that they have qualified for the Champions League and have taken the most points in the Premier League since Michael Carrick’s return to Old Trafford.

Yet that has been built on a small core. With European commitments next season, United require more players. It is also evident they need attacking reinforcements; it was clear even before Joshua Zirkzee laboured ineffectually in Saturday’s stalemate at Sunderland to show why he is not good enough.

Their squad, reshaped by Ruben Amorim in his quest to play a 3-4-3 that didn’t suit Rashford – or virtually anyone else, for that matter – does not contain a natural left winger. Patrick Dorgu started Carrick’s reign there, acquitting himself well before getting injured, but it remains to be seen if that was a short-term gambit or a long-term strategy. Matheus Cunha has occupied the role more often, but is essentially a No 10. Fernandes and Bryan Mbeumo have taken turns there. Rashford would have the potential to be a regular.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Sesko is the only specialist No 9 in the squad and if Rashford probably would not describe himself as such, he is better qualified to fill the role than anyone else on United’s books, with the exception of Rasmus Hojlund, whose loan to Napoli is set to become a permanent deal.

As United’s recruitment drive last summer shows, when they spent around £200m on Cunha, Sesko and Mbeumo, they can end up paying at least £60m for forwards; the club would concede that they paid towards the upper end of their valuations for players who, in some cases, are less gifted than Rashford.

And selling him for €30m would represent a figure at the lower end of his valuation, even accounting for his sizeable wages and the fact he turns 29 in October. The numbers have significance when the summer spending has to be focused on the midfield, with what might be a £200m rebuild, with at least two signings required and preferably three. They may want other additions, too: perhaps a left-back, unless Dorgu is pencilled in for defensive duties.

Meanwhile, there is no guarantee that Barcelona, their funds ever tight, their preference for trying to get quality players on the cheap, their greatest need arguably for an out-and-out centre forward to replace Robert Lewandowski, would even try to buy Rashford anyway. They may prefer the brinkmanship of aiming to borrow him again.

The sense has been that Rashford feels his United career is over, even beyond the feeling his first choice is to be at Barcelona. Certainly, there may be some at Old Trafford and in the fanbase who do not want him to return. As things unravelled in the 18 months following his outstanding campaign in 2022-23, there were more incidents beyond those that got into the public domain.

But it was nevertheless true that he was exiled with remarkable speed by Amorim, whose United then scored very few goals. It was a damaging decision, but Amorim is gone. Carrick is a former teammate and coach; indeed, no player scored more goals or got more assists for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United than Rashford.

Last month, United’s temporary manager said no decision had been made on Rashford. Nor on Carrick either, perhaps, though he is likely to get the job on a lengthier basis. And if he provided a non-answer last week, Rashford may yet be a logical answer for United.

Some bridges may have to be rebuilt, but he is a scorer of 138 United goals, a player good enough to excel for Barcelona. They are not obliged to give him to the new champions of Spain on the cheap. Especially not when he could fill in at least two gaps in United’s plans for next season.