Heinicke says he signed with Falcons to be Ridder's backup

ATLANTA (AP) — Desmond Ridder’s status as the Atlanta Falcons’ starting quarterback was affirmed by his new backup, Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke signed his two-year contract with the Falcons believed to be worth up to $20 million and then said his job will be to support Ridder, who started the final four games of the 2022 season as a rookie. That was a surprise to anyone who assumed Heinicke, who has 25 career starts in five seasons with Houston, Carolina and Washington, would compete with Ridder for the starting job. Heinicke said his backup role was made clear to him by the Falcons.