It’s time to cash in.

Tanner McKee, the developing Eagles back up quarterback, has one year left on his contract. Unless the Eagles plan to sign him to a long-term deal to remain an understudy, we’re reaching a pivot point in his Eagles tenure: Play it out for 2026 or trade him this offseason.

Yesterday, Tony Pauline linked the Jets to a possible McKee trade. The fit in New York makes sense: The Jets desperately need more in the quarterback room, could be planning to wait for 2027 to draft a signal caller, have (now Stanford guy) Frank Reich in the offensive coaching room, and are generally desperate.

It’s the perfect team for Howie Roseman to pick on.

As for what the Eagles could get back?

Here’s my idea.

McKee and the No. 23 overall pick for the No. 16 pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Yes, using McKee to trade up in the first round rather than simply taking a mid-round draft pick. Using the draft value chart, moving up from No. 23 to No. 16 would take the equivalent of the 70th pick. That’s an early third rounder. I think that’s good value for McKee, especially in the final year of his deal.

I’m not yet fully sure which player the Eagles should target in the first round, but could easily see a scenario in which the gap between a top-16 prospect and a top-23 prospect is a big deal. Teams often admit they only truly feel that there are 15-20 true “first round” talents in many drafts. A deal like this, much like when Roseman used Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell to move up from 13 to 8 to 2 in 2016, could be the best way to make the roster better through the draft.

McKee and 23 for 16.

Would you do it?

We had Devan Kaney on to talk Phillies, Bryce Harper and A.J. Brown.

I’m expecting a quiet free agency from the Eagles. I dove into why on WIP Daily.

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