Taylor Heinicke started 15 games last season for Washington after entering preseason camp as Ryan Fitzpatrick’s backup.

But the former Old Dominion star has no illusions about his role with the Commanders this season after Washington signed veteran Carson Wentz to a four-year contract worth $128 million.

Wentz, a former No. 1 draft pick, will make more than $28 million this season; Heinicke is in the final year of a contract that pays him a base salary of $1.5 million.

“You look at the NFL and it’s a business,” Heinicke said Wednesday during a press conference at the Commanders’ training facility in Ashburn. “If you’re paying someone $30 million and paying someone else $2 million, you’re paying this guy $30 million to play.”

“Carson’s a great quarterback and you see that through [organized team activities] and mini-camp, and I hope he goes out there and succeeds,” Heinicke added. “My job is to back him up, help him out in whatever way I can, and if for some reason he goes down, I’m ready to go play.”

Wentz signed in March after five seasons with Philadelphia and a year with Indianapolis. The Commanders also used a fifth-round draft pick on quarterback Sam Howell of North Carolina.

“I feel like we’re all out there getting each other better,” Heinicke said, " and it’s a fun quarterback room.”

Heinicke signed with Washington after impressing in the playoffs at the end of the 2020 season and became the starter after Fitzpatrick was injured in the season opener last year. Heinicke had his ups and downs in his first full season as an NFL starter, finishing 7-8 while completing 66% of his passes for 3,419 yards and 20 touchdowns, with 15 interceptions.

Henicke has an incentive-laden contract, and he earned $1.375 million in incentives last season, according to the Washington Post: $125,000 for each of the seven wins in which he played at least 60% of the snaps ($875,000) and $31,250 for being on 16 game-day active rosters ($500,000).

Heinicke told reporters Wednesday he worked out with quarterbacks coach Adam Dado in Los Angeles during the offseason. Dado also has worked with Wentz and the the Los Angeles Chargers’ Justin Herbert among others.

“That was huge for me, opened my eyes to things I didn’t think of,” Heinicke said. “The little things that he pointed out make a huge difference, so I’m glad I went out there.”

Otherwise, Heinicke said he spent the offseason traveling and playing “a lot of golf.”

“Took a lot of time to relax, let the body heal up,” he said.

The Commanders had three weeks of OTAs, then began a mandatory three-day minicamp this week. Training camp gets underway next month, and Washington opens the 2022 season Sept. 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars at FedEx Field.

Heinicke, thrust into the lineup in last year’s opener, hasn’t changed his approach to the season.

“I think the only difference is I have experience now having started 15-16 games, so I kinda feel like I know what it takes to be a good quarterback, I know what it takes to win,” Heinicke said. “That’s the biggest difference from last year to this year.”

But that doesn’t mean he’s not ready to step in to play at a moment’s notice — just as he did in the 2020 playoffs and last season.

“Every guy on the team will tell you the same thing: You go out there and practice like you’re the starter,” Heinicke said. “The NFL’s crazy, everybody gets hurt, so any given play your number’s going to be called. So you just have to make sure that you’re ready. Thank God last year at that time I was ready.”

Jami Frankenberry, 757-446-2376, jami.frankenberry@pilotonline.com. Twitter @JamiVP