Once upon a time, Philadelphia Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee was seen as someone the team could easily trade for a decent draft pick.
McKee won his first career start against the New York Giants back in 2024, but lost his second one last year against the Washington Commanders. All offseason, there was speculation about whether he would be traded, but nothing materialized. The New York Jets reportedly called, but the Eagles' asking price was too high: general manager Howie Roseman was asking for a second- or third-round pick for McKee's services.
Bleacher Report writer Moe Moton ranked the top 10 backup quarterbacks and their trade market value. McKee came in ninth, with his only being a sixth-round pick.
"Among the top backup quarterbacks, Tanner McKee has the fewest NFL starts (two). Yet the Philadelphia Eagles have a premium price on his trade value."
"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."
Tanner McKee's trade value has washed up
McKee has been good in his NFL career as a backup in Philly, completing 61.4% of his passes for 597 yards and five touchdowns to one interception. It hasn't always been perfect, and he isn't ready to be a starter yet, but there's development in his game.
He's got the NFL arm needed and has experience working in different offensive systems in his career. Decision-making and accuracy are areas where he will need to improve.
The likelihood of McKee getting traded at this point is slim to none, as he is expected to play out the 2026 season as Jalen Hurts's backup in Philly. That would most likely leave McKee in his final year as an Eagle.
After the season, McKee will test the free agent market, where he should get some looks to either be a backup or a bridge starter somewhere. The Eagles would settle on either adding another quarterback to back up Hurts or rolling with rookie fifth-round pick Cole Payton to take over the QB2 job.
It's a shame it doesn't seem to be working out for the Eagles, as they would have loved to get more value from McKee to stock up on draft picks. That Commanders game from Week 18 last season might have hurt his chances of landing somewhere in the offseason.
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McKee has one more year to make some kind of impression on the rest of the NFL and will have to use the preseason to get it done. A trade is still possible, but expect him to play out the season in Philly.
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