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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee.
The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t shy about pulling off deals. We all know this.
General manager Howie Roseman has a well-earned reputation as 1 of the most shrewd wheelers and dealers in recent memory. There’s no trade he can’t pull off.
There is, however, 1 trade Roseman has seemed hesitant to pull the trigger on over the last few years. That’s sending talented backup quarterback Tanner McKee to another team.
That might be because the price hasn’t been right, but it’s more likely that Roseman understands how valuable McKee is to the Eagles should starter Jalen Hurts go down. McKee has more than proven himself able to run Philadelphia’s offense at a high level in the last few years when Hurts has been out.
For the Eagles, time is running out on cashing out when it comes to McKee, who Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton put at the top of his list of backup quarterbacks with the most trade value, but with a catch.
Tanner McKee Enters Final Year of Deal in 2026
McKee, a 2023 6th round pick, is in the final year of his 4-year, $4.02 million rookie contract in 2026.
“Among the top backup quarterbacks, Tanner McKee has the fewest NFL starts (two),” Moton wrote. “Yet the Philadelphia Eagles have a premium price on his trade value. However, the Eagles have overpriced the demand for McKee, which may be why he’s still on the roster after the club acquired 15th-year veteran Andy Dalton from the Carolina Panthers and drafted Cole Payton in the fifth round. In six games, McKee has thrown for 597 yards, five touchdowns and an interception with a 61.4 percent completion rate. He has a decent but small sample size. Philadelphia will likely need to drop its asking price to make a deal.”
Moton puts McKee’s trade value at a 2027 6th-round pick.
AFC Team Scared Off by Philly’s Asking Price
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, the New York Jets backed out of a trade for Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee when Roseman came back with the asking price — a 2nd round pick.
“They looked into trading for guys like Tanner McKee, Davis Mills, and Mac Jones. Those teams were asking for second-round picks for these guys,” Cimini told Gary Myers on “The Saturday Huddle” podcast. “Exorbitant prices.”
If a team wants a plug-and-play starting quarterback even for 1 season, it’s probably not exorbitant — it’s probably the market price.
It’s also a deal the Jets might come back around to this summer as the reality of having Geno Smith as their starting quarterback sets in.
Never forget Roseman is a shark, and when he smells blood in the water, it’s usually curtains for the team he’s going after in a trade. The Jets have proven to be easy prey.
“The New York Jets are officially bargain hunting at quarterback, according to league sources,” Essentially Sports NFL reporter Tony Pauline wrote in February. “… After last year’s failure at quarterback, the Jets are once again in the market for a starting signal caller to compete with or replace Justin Fields … people in the league tell me if general manager Darren Mougey gets his way, the Jets will look to bring in a less-expensive signal caller, and two names keep entering the conversation: Tanner McKee and Davis Mills.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
