During the height of this season’s QB bullshit I made a list of possible trade candidates for Tanner McKee. The suitors have changed a bit since then, so I figure it is time for an update. Make no mistake though, if the Eagles get a good offer then McKee is out the door. Trading a backup QB for value is not just good business, it is standard practice for the Eagles. They haven’t just done this before, they’ve done it a lot.
Previous Eagles Backup QB Trades
What Is Good Value?
Yes, it is important to have a good backup QB. That is not in dispute here. However, McKee has shown enough promise that someone is going to want to give him the keys to an offense in free agency next year. That means the Eagles will not be able to resign him. The likely plan is to trade him this offseason and draft his replacement somewhere in the middle of the upcoming draft.
In previous trades, the Eagles have made out like bandits, scoring 1st and 2nd round picks for their backups. Will they get a first for McKee? Probably not. That is probably the current asking price, but anywhere from a mid 2nd to good 3rd round pick would probably be enough for Howie Roseman to pull the trigger. Frankly, that’s good compensation to consider for a team to make the move too. If McKee turns out to be the answer and you only paid a 2nd or 3rd round pick, that’s a steal. If he isn’t the savior, losing one of those picks will not set a franchise back to the same extent as busting on a 1st.
The big reason though? This year’s draft stinks at QB. People are now going to talk themselves into Drew Allar after the Combine despite him not being able to play football. After Fernando Mendoza goes #1 to the Raiders, McKee and Malik Willis are the two best options for QB needy teams. While Willis won’t cost draft picks, rumors are that he will get $30m AAV. McKee will only cost around $1m.
The Possibles
- Atlanta Falcons
- Current starter: Michael Penix
- Motivation: Higher than you would think. The Falcons recently cleaned house after years of mismanagement under Terry Fontenot. Are they married to Penix? Well, they probably are for at least 1 more season for value and evaluation purposes, but you can’t rule out new head decision maker Matt Ryan wanting to put a quick mark on his tenure. If they have already made a decision on Penix, then a McKee trade makes more sense.
- Cleveland Browns
- Current starter: Shedeur Sanders
- Motivation: Cleveland has already claimed that they are going to let Deshaun Watson vie for the starting QB job, so along with Sanders it would probably be silly to bring in McKee as well. I have them here because McKee might be the best of the 3 of them at this point and these are the Clevland Browns. Making sense is just not their thing.
- Indianapolis Colts
- Current starter: ??? (but probably Daniel Jones)
- Motivation: The Colts are likely to retain Jones and give him a new extension. They have yet to give him a franchise tag though and the March 3, 4pm deadline is fast approaching. They really do not want to pay him $43m on the tag. If he hits the open market, all bets are off even after last year’s torrid but ultimately tragic love affair. If Jones leaves, they move into the Contender category despite Howie Roseman already fleecing Chris Ballard once on a backup QB trade.
- Minnesota Vikings
- Current starter: JJ McCarthy
- Motivation: The Vikings made a big bet on McCarthy last year. They spent big in free agency, constructed a complete roster, and just needed their (essentially) rookie QB to be “okay.” He wasn’t. The whole thing blew up bad to the point that they have very little confidence in JJ entering next season. They still have that good roster though. Do they want to do the insane thing of trying again with JJ and wasting another year of primes for the rest of the team? Do they want to bring back Kirk Cousins or perennial disappointment Derek Carr when both have limited ceilings and will cost a bunch of money? Or do they want to send the Eagles #82 and a little more on McKee and his only $1m cap hit?
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Current starter: Aaron Rodgers
- Motivation: The Steelers made the most sense for McKee during the season when it looked like Rodgers was going to retire. With him coming back though, it’s much less likely. Why are they here then? Because the Steelers know that Rodgers is not the future and new coach Mike McCarthy will be left out in the cold next year. McKee would be a solid investment not unlike the Rodgers Jordan Love situation in Green Bay from a few years ago.
The Contenders
- Arizona Cardinals
- Current Starter: Jacoby Brissett
- Motivation: Yikes. The Cards are out on Kyler Murray. Brissett is basically a placeholder at the position that needs all of youth, value, and upside. Outside of QB, the rest of their team really isn’t that bad. McKee would be able to step in and check all their boxes. They own the 1st pick in the 3rd round (#65) which could be exactly the kind of value the Eagles would like without breaking Arizona’s bank.
- Miami Dolphins
- Current starter: Quinn Ewers?
- Motivation: The Tua Tagovailoa situation looms over the Dolphins offseason, but it looks like they are done with him. Ewers didn’t show anyone anything last year and they are certainly not married to the former 7th round pick. McKee would be an upgrade and a good investment on one (or two) of their three 3rd round picks. The Dolphins desperately need a “win”, and this gives them a better chance than with Ewers.
The One
- New York Jets
- Current starter: ???
- Motivation: There’s a good reason Dante Moore went back to Oregon and it’s not because of his disaster against Indiana in the College Football Playoff. It was the Jets. They were going to pick him #2 overall and possibly ruin his career. With no other QB draftees worthy of being picked that high, I’m sorry Tanner, you are going to switch your greens. The Jets don’t have much, but they have a few things that make a trade for McKee make sense:
- Armand Membou – getting the right protection is key for any QB and with last year’s #7 overall pick, they have it
- Garrett Wilson – Wilson just got a new contract and is a #1 level WR. He just needs someone to get him the ball. Keeping him around makes sense with a guy like McKee under center for a year
- The #2, #16, and #33 Picks – With two 1sts and the first 2nd, the Jets have the ammunition to go and fix their defense instead of wasting one of those picks on Ty Simpson
- #44 – One of the two picks the Jets received from the Cowboys in the Quinnen Williams trade is just about the perfect compensation for the Eagles. There is no chance Howie would turn this down or even haggle too much. Considering they have 3 higher picks, the Jets have the equity to afford this move.
Philly Front Office 
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