After a troubling preseason campaign last year in which he threw one touchdown and three interceptions, the LA Chargers knew Easton Stick couldn't remain Justin Herbert's primary backup. A 2025 seventh-round pick was promptly exchanged for then-Falcons' backup Taylor Heinicke to serve as LA's QB2.
Stick then spent most of the 2024 season as the emergency third quarterback. It was clear that the era with him as the primary backup to Justin Herbert had ended. The Chargers' first quarterback move this offseason was to re-sign backup Taylor Heinicke to a one year deal. At that point, the probability of a Stick return to LA dwindled.
Most recently, the Chargers signed their QB3 in Trey Lance. If the door was slightly open to a Stick return before then, Lance's signing slammed it shut.
While Heinicke came out west from Atlanta, Stick is officially now doing the opposite. The former Chargers' vet backup since 2019 has been signed by the Falcons. He joins a quarterback room that includes the likes of Michael Penix, Kirk Cousins, and Emory Jones.
Easton Stick leaves Chargers to join Falcons' crowded QB room
Stick's signing comes at a particularly interesting juncture for the Falcons. While Penix is now locked in as the teams' starter, Cousins is on the hook for a $40 million cap hit as QB2.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported today that the Falcons have effectively been playing hardball in negotiations with teams. Atlanta reportedly wants teams interested in Cousins to pay $20 million of the $37.5 million guaranteed remaining on his deal.
A Stick signing isn't an indication that Cousins will be dealt during the draft, or even necessarily that progress is being made. But if Atlanta were to ship Cousins out, having a reliable QB3 would make the transition from the trade a bit easier.
For the Chargers, the Stick era ends. Drafted as a fifth-round developmental prospect in 2019, Stick lasted six seasons in the Chargers' quarterback room. He originally joined a roster depth chart that included the likes of Philip Rivers and Tyrod Taylor prior to the Herbert era.
Ultimately, the Chargers drafted a player that looks like he could stick around in the league as a backup for a while. But Stick being the primary backup to Herbert was simply not feasible anymore for a team with playoff aspirations.