Minnesota Vikings Waive Taylor Heinicke With Injury Settlement

Lost in the excitement of opening night for the Minnesota Vikings was the news that they had officially waived a player that, at one point, was thought to have a bright future with the team.

The Vikings officially waived quarterback Taylor Heinicke with an injury settlement on Monday.

Heinicke signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion. He never got onto the field in the regular season for the Vikings, but provided a couple of memorable performances in the preseason, including a game-winning drive in this year’s third preseason contest against the San Francisco 49ers. He made news in 2016 when he showed up to Training Camp with his leg in a cast after kicking a friend’s apartment door when the friend had gotten locked out. In hindsight, that probably cost him a real opportunity to make an impact, as he didn’t practice with the team until midway through the season.

After that big comeback against San Francisco, Heinicke suffered a concussion in the preseason finale against the Miami Dolphins and was placed on Injured Reserve.

Heinicke would be eligible to re-sign with the Vikings after his injury settlement ends in October. However, after the team paid a pretty penny to add Denver Broncos’ preseason sensation Kyle Sloter to their practice squad as a developmental quarterback, the odds of that happening appear to be pretty slim.