The New York Jets could circle back.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed on “The Saturday Huddle” with Gary Myers that the Jets explored trade talks earlier this offseason with the Philadelphia Eagles for backup quarterback Tanner McKee.
“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. Exorbitant prices,” Cimini told Myers on Saturday, March 14.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini told @GaryMyersNY on Saturday, March 14 that earlier this offseason the #Jets ‘looked into trading for guys like Tanner McKee, Davis Mills, & Mac Jones & those teams were asking for 2nd round picks for these guys. Exorbitant prices.’
Those talks didn’t go anywhere. However, after the latest free agency moves, perhaps the Jets could revisit those conversations.
A Door Left Ajar?
This week, the Eagles struck a trade with the Carolina Panthers to acquire veteran quarterback Andy Dalton.
That took a potential NYJ QB target off the board and simultaneously potentially reopened the McKee discussions. Philadelphia now has Jalen Hurts, Dalton, and McKee on the roster.
According to the Associated Press, “roughly half of the NFL’s 32 teams had a third quarterback on the active roster” in 2024.
“I would not be surprised if he gets moved over the next month and a half because Philadelphia knows that he is in the last year of his contract. They are not going to be able to re-sign him. They would rather get some value for him and then just draft another rookie. A rookie could be QB3 and Dalton could be QB2 [in Philadelphia]. So Tanner McKee is certainly on the trade block,” beat reporter Nick Faria of Jets X-Factor told me on “Boy Green Daily.”
“I feel like [the Jets] have to [be involved in the McKee sweepstakes], right? They need a backup quarterback,” Faria said. “It would probably take a third or a fourth [round pick to get a deal done].”
Are the Jets Willing to Pay the Iron Price to Trade for Another QB?
The Jets are desperately searching for their next QB2 behind Geno Smith. Options are flying off the board on the free agency and trade market alike.
How much are the Jets willing to spend?
Cimini revealed that when the Jets first called, there was a second-round trade price. Something the Jets could afford, but that feels pricey. Faria said the true acquisition price is cheaper in the third to fourth round range. However, that is still a high price.
Especially when you evaluate the McKee resume, or lack thereof.
McKee, 25, will turn 26 before the start of the 2026 season. He is listed at 6-foot-6 and weighs 231 pounds.
The former Stanford product entered the league as the No. 188 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL draft.
During his three-year NFL career to date, McKee has only appeared in six games and has just two starts at this level.
He has one year left on his rookie contract through the 2026 season. McKee is set to count $1.19 million against the cap this year.
If you trade the kind of serious draft capital required, then you’d have to turn this into an open competition between McKee and Smith. If you don’t want to make it a true competition, then this feels like a poor allocation of resources. You can sign a backup in free agency without giving up any draft assets.
Jets Could Revisit Eagles QB Trade Talks After Latest Free Agency Move