The Green Bay Packers have filled a good number of their offseason needs, but one of the most important may be their backup quarterback situation. After Malik Willis left for the Miami Dolphins in free agency, the Packers need a solid insurance plan in case Jordan Love gets injured.
With that in mind, the Packers need to keep their eyes open for opportunities, and they may have found one courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Eagles acquired quarterback Andy Dalton in a trade with the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a 2027 seventh-round pick. While that price would have been agreeable as a solution to the Packers’ current dilemma, it creates an opportunity to fill it differently by pursuing a trade for fellow Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee.
Packers Should Target Tanner McKee After Eagles’ Andy Dalton Trade
McKee is an interesting target if you follow the blueprint established by the Packers’ acquisition of Willis before the 2024 season. The Tennessee Titans were clear that Willis was not part of their long-term plans, trading Willis to the Packers in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick. Willis came to Green Bay, sat behind Love for two years, and was impressive when called upon, using that performance to cash in on free agency while also getting back the initial pick used to acquire Willis to the Packers in the form of a 2027 compensatory draft selection.
If that’s the plan, you could see how McKee would fit into the Packers’ decision-making process. A seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft, McKee has spent three years with the Eagles, completing 54-of-88 passes (61.4 percent) for 597 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception in six games (two starts). While NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported that the Eagles plan on keeping McKee as the second quarterback with Dalton slotting in as the No. 3, the move to bring Dalton makes sense when you consider he carries a $3.6 million base salary per WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks.
“This seems like a precursor to Tanner McKee being traded, although it’s possible the Eagles just want a veteran with them this offseason in case McKee is traded at one point,” Shorr-Parks wrote on his X account. “They could always make Dalton the emergency QB all season if needed (or honestly just cut him).”
Shorr-Parks added that he was “very surprised that the Eagles did this,” and it feels like getting a quarterback who has made 169 career starts would make Philadelphia’s feelings clear about McKee’s development.
With McKee entering the final year of his contract, the Eagles may not see him in their long-term plans, and as the franchise has seen before, that could be the perfect time for the Packers to strike a deal.
Green Bay currently has Desmond Ridder and fellow former Eagle Kyle McCord on the depth chart behind Love. McKee could be a better option, considering he kept McCord on Philadelphia’s practice squad last year and has more upside than Ridder, who is entering his age-27 season and didn’t appear in a game last season.
It may cost a little more than the late draft pick that the Eagles gave up for Dalton, but if the Eagles are willing to trade him, it could land the Packers the QB2 upgrade they’ve been looking for.