Former NFL quarterback Taylor Heinicke announced his retirement from football.
“For 25 years, I had the pleasure to play this great sport of football,” Heinicke wrote on Instagram. “It has taught me a lot, not only about myself but about life as well. 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.
“Thank you to all who have supported me in this journey. Thank you all who have believed in me. And thank you to those who gave me the opportunity to live out my childhood dream. Excited for this next chapter of my life!”
Heinicke, 33, last played in the NFL in 2024 with the Chargers, who released him out of the preseason in 2025.
Heinicke went undrafted out of Old Dominion in 2015, signing with the Vikings. He also spent time with the Patriots, Texans and Panthers in the NFL and the St. Louis BattleHawks of the United Football League.
He played 42 games with 29 starts and completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 6,663 yards with 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions.
His biggest moment came in a wild-card playoff loss with Washington against the Buccaneers in 2020. He threw for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception and ran for another 46 yards and a touchdown.
The Commanders are hiring 49ers scout Ryan Kessenich as their new director of college scouting, Neil Stratton of ScoutSpeak reports.
Kessenich is returning to Washington, where he began his scouting career in 2005.
His stint in San Francisco began in 2019, where he and Adam Peters worked together before Peters left to become the Commanders’ General Manager in 2024. Kessenich also worked as a scout for the Chiefs and the Bears and had two stops at Northwestern University, along with one year as a scout for the Senior Bowl, before joining the 49ers.
Kessenich will replace Tim Gribble, who left in January to join the Steelers.
Linebacker Sonny Styles is going to play a big role for the Commanders after being drafted seventh overall and one facet of his role will be determined on the practice field in the coming weeks.
During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Quinn said that the first-round pick has “unique traits” for a linebacker because he began his time at Ohio State as a defensive back. Quinn said that the “football acumen” will allow the Commanders to use him in a variety of ways that could include relaying the team’s defensive plans as the player with a green dot on his helmet to hear play calls from coaches.
“In practice, we’ll certainly consider that,” Quinn said. “A number of guys will have it during the practice time. He is definitely capable of that. It’s one of the nice things now with the guys already doing that in college.”
Styles’ physical tools suggest he won’t be coming off the field much and that makes him an even likelier choice to wind up as the defensive centerpiece in Washington.
Free agent running back Austin Ekeler is medically cleared for all football activities, Aaron Wilson of KPRC reports.
Ekeler, who turns 31 next week, plans to play in 2026.
The nine-year veteran tore his Achilles in Week 2 last season. He had 19 touches for 81 yards in his second season in Washington after seven seasons with the Chargers.
Ekeler appeared in 12 games for Washington in 2024, rushing for 367 yards and four touchdowns on 77 carries, catching 35 passes for 366 yards and averaging 31.3 yards on 19 kickoff returns.
In his career, Ekeler has 1,561 touches for 9,053 yards and 73 touchdowns.
The Washington Commanders announced the death of three-time Super Bowl champ Monte Coleman at 68 on Sunday.
Coleman was an 11th-round pick by the franchise in 1979 and spent his entire 16-year career as a linebacker with the team. Coleman was part of all three championship teams during the Joe Gibbs era and is in the franchise’s Ring of Fame.
“Monte Coleman was one of the greatest players in Washington history,” Commanders owner Josh Harris said in a statement. “He was one of the pillars of our championship defenses having played for all three Super Bowl-winning teams. His durability and leadership set the standard for what it meant to suit up for the Burgundy & Gold.”
Coleman became the head coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff after retiring as a player and went 40-71 over 10 seasons in that job.
