The Philadelphia Eagles have a simple question to ask themselves when it comes to backup quarterback Tanner McKee. It’s not nice, but it’s realistic.
Can the Eagles upgrade or stay the same at QB2 by trading McKee to a team primed to be hoodwinked by general manager Howie Roseman into tossing in a draft pick?
If the answer is “Yes” that puts a lot of teams in play. That includes the Indianapolis Colts, who Heavy’s Max Dible thinks could be a prime target in a McKee trade where the Eagles receive quarterback and former first round pick Anthony Richardson along with a 2026 sixth round pick.
McKee, a 2023 sixth round pick, has seen his trade value only continue to rise over the last year.
Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in 2023, has never seen his stock dip lower.
“The Colts may have the best case to trade for McKee,” Dible said. “First, they are in the AFC, so he won’t come back to bite the Eagles. Second, they have a QB in Anthony Richardson they can send back who can play behind Jalen Hurts for the next two years. Richardson was a first-round pick but injuries and struggles mean he could lose the starting job in Indy to Daniel Jones. In that case, he probably has third- or fourth-round trade value. Thus, if the Colts threw in a sixth-rounder with him, they could potentially nab their QB of the future in McKee.
“Meanwhile, the Eagles get a dual-threat player who can play like Hurts while learning from him. Philly could potentially up Richardson’s value over the next two years, while maintaining a viable backup, and possibly flip him down the road for a stronger return.”
Richardson’s Career Takes Major Step Backwards
Richardson was neck and neck with Carolina Panthers quarterback and 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young in the race to be the first true first round QB bust in the last 3 years until recently.
Richardson officially took the lead back when Colts head coach Shane Steichen announced veteran free agent Jones as the starting quarterback over Richardson on August 19.
The move, which many saw coming, didn’t sit well with Richardson’s representation.
Richardson was benched for 2 games in 2024 for, among other things, quitting on his team late in a loss to the Houston Texans.
“Trust is a big factor and that is, at best, questionable right now,” Richardson’s agent, Detric Jackson, told ESPN’s Stephen Holder. “Anthony came back and made the improvements in the areas he needed to improve. And by all accounts, he had a great camp.”
Tantalizing Upside Remains for NFL Teams
Richardson, 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds, still has the kind of athletic gifts that will make teams overlook the fact he has more career interceptions (13) than touchdown passes (11) and a career QB rating of 67.8.
Most teams will be able to justify a trade simply by looking at Richardson’s record as a starter, as he’s 8-7 in 2 seasons. In that scenario, whatever team winds up with Richardson will just chalk up his struggles the last 2 seasons to the Colts’ well-documented history of incompetence in both the draft … and just coaching football in general.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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