The Los Angeles Chargers have had a stellar start to their season. Two games in, they’re 2-0, having had convincing wins against the Las Vegas Raiders (22-10) and the Carolina Panthers (26-3). At least in part, Justin Herbert is to thank for this success. He’s been at the forefront of their campaign, and though he injured his ankle in the Panthers match, he seems set to play the Pittsburgh Steelers today. In case he doesn’t though, the Chargers have Easton Stick and Taylor Heinicke on standby. You might not have heard much about Heinicke in the NFL.

The 31-year-old has largely played second or third-string quarterback, relying on player injuries to get game time. If he does step onto the field today in his first appearance with the Chargers, it’d be a continuation of this story. The most game time he got was with the Washington Commanders (then the Washington Football Team) in 2021. He had 16 games and 15 starts with them that year after starter Ryan Fitzpatrick injured himself in the opener. Noticing a pattern? Here’s a bit more about his family background, and how he got into football.

How did Taylor Heinicke’s dad Brett Heinicke die?

It was from his father, Brett Heinicke, that Taylor first inherited his love for football. Brett Heinicke was a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan, and he and Taylor often sat down for games together. That’s when Taylor was introduced to the second Brett to inspire him – Brett Favre. Taylor Heinicke’s admiration for Brett Favre was one of the many factors that pushed him to pursue football. “That’s when I really fell in love with the game – watching Brett Favre,” as he’s said in the past. Just loving the game isn’t enough though, you’ve got to put yourself out there. And Brett went out of his way to do so, securing his son a football scholarship to Old Dominion University, “He sat there and made a highlight video for me, and he mailed it to literally 250 colleges around the East Coast and took me to 10, 15 camps each summer – doing whatever he could to get me a scholarship,” Taylor recalls. Sadly, Brett passed away of a heart attack during Taylor’s first year at ODU.

Taking the tragedy in his stride, he excelled as a quarterback for the Old Dominion Monarchs. In a four year college career, he played 46 games, winning 31 of them and amassing 14,959 yards in passes, 1320 yards in rushes, and a total of 156 touchdowns. A shame then, that he went undrafted in 2015, even with a record like that.

Who is Taylor Heinicke’s mother Diane Dodsworth?

Taylor Heinicke stayed close to his mother, Diane, even though he chose to live with his dad after their divorce. Sadly, we don’t know much about his mother. Heinicke doesn’t speak about her much. Nor is there much information out there about her from other sources. Apparently, she was born in 1962, and she might have worked for Coca-Cola as a business analyst. Take all that with a grain of salt, though.

What’s important is that she was there for her son, even after Taylor chose Brett. Heinicke fondly remembers how excited he was when he was set to start for the first time in his career, in 2018 for the Carolina Panthers. He called up his mother before anyone else to share his joy. Will he have a second wind with the Chargers this season? The only way to find out is to wait and watch.

If you’re interested in knowing more about the shakers and movers in the NFL this season, be sure to check out our latest Think Tank Exclusive, featuring Doug Sanders.