Report: Eagles backup Tanner McKee is on the Jets’ radar

The Eagles might have a backup quarterback situation to figure out sooner than expected.

According to a report from Tony Pauline, the New York Jets are showing interest in Tanner McKee as they search for a more affordable quarterback option heading into 2026. After last season’s mess under center that saw Justin Fields get benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor, the Jets are once again in the market for help at the position. While the public conversation has centered around splashier names like Kyler Murray, Pauline reports that people around the league believe New York could instead target a lower-cost trade option such as McKee or Houston’s Davis Mills.

And when you start connecting the dots, it’s not hard to see why the Eagles quarterback would land on their radar.

Eagles could have real trade leverage with Jets

There are a few built-in connections here that make this more than just random offseason noise. The Jets now employ former Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who spent time at Stanford last season, McKee’s alma mater. New York’s quarterbacks coach, Bill Musgrave, also coached in the PAC-12 during McKee’s time with the Cardinal. On top of that, Jets GM Darren Mougey has previous ties to Eagles personnel executive Matt Russell from their time together in Denver.

So yeah, there’s familiarity. And familiarity tends to matter when teams start poking around for developmental quarterbacks they believe they can work with.

The Eagles don’t have to do anything here. McKee still holds value as Jalen Hurts’ backup heading into 2026, especially considering how expensive veteran QB2s have become across the league. Last year alone, guys like Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham were pulling in roughly $6 million to hold a clipboard. Having a cost-controlled backup matters.

But there’s another side to this.

If the Eagles keep McKee through the upcoming season, there’s a very real chance he walks in free agency after 2026 in search of a legitimate opportunity to compete for a starting job. That’s the gamble. Hold onto a solid backup for one more year, or flip him now and recoup an asset before he potentially leaves for nothing.

Eagles may have to decide between insurance and asset management

McKee’s NFL résumé is still limited. He’s attempted just 88 passes across six career appearances with two starts. That said, he’s shown enough in limited action to intrigue teams looking for a developmental option without committing major cap space or premium draft capital.

The Jets are short a third-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after sending that selection to the Eagles in the Haason Reddick deal, but they still have multiple early-round selections over the next two drafts. That gives them flexibility to offer something in the mid-round range, possibly with conditions tied to playing time.

If the Eagles do move McKee, the next question becomes how they replace him. Veteran backups aren’t cheap, which could push Howie Roseman toward the draft once again to keep the QB factory churning. Bringing in a rookie on a team-friendly deal would allow Philadelphia to maintain depth behind Hurts without committing meaningful cap space.

Nothing appears imminent, but this is the kind of situation that tends to pick up steam quickly once the offseason carousel starts spinning. The Eagles may soon have to decide whether Tanner McKee is more valuable as insurance in 2026 or as a trade chip that could bring back future draft capital.