The Chicago Bears are staring at a quarterback problem they never wanted to have this early in the season.
Caleb Williams went down with a non-contact hamstring injury, and then Tyson Bagent landed in concussion protocol. That leaves 38-year-old Case Keenum as the only healthy quarterback on the roster, which is a rough place to be for a team that looked ready to push for its first Super Bowl since 1985.
That’s why one obvious phone call stands out: the Bears should reach out to the Philadelphia Eagles about Tanner McKee.
McKee has been on the radar as a possible trade chip before, and Bleacher Report even listed him among the top trade candidates at backup quarterback, alongside Mac Jones and J.J. McCarthy.
It’s not hard to see the appeal. He’s a Stanford graduate with a 6-foot-6 frame, and since the Eagles drafted him in 2023, he has looked like a reliable backup with upside.
He has not had a huge sample size, but McKee has made his chances count. In his career starts, he is 1-1 and has thrown for 597 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
His most notable moment came when he stepped in for a concussed Jalen Hurts and helped the Eagles lock up home-field advantage and the No. 2 seed in the NFC. That win during the 2024 season’s stretch run ended up being part of the path to the Eagles’ second Super Bowl.
For Chicago, the fit is easy to understand. Ben Johnson has built a reputation as an offensive mind who has had success with every quarterback he has worked with, and McKee could get a real chance to show what he can do in that system.
There’s also a business angle here for McKee. He’s in the final year of his contract with the Eagles, and a strong stretch with the Bears could put him in position for a deal similar to the one Malik Willis landed this offseason.
The asking price would likely be a second- or third-round pick, which is not unreasonable for a Bears team trying to keep winning early in what looks like a tough NFC North race.
And if a deal happens, the timing would be awkward but logical. The Bears and Eagles are scheduled to meet on Monday Night Football this week, and it would be unusual for Philadelphia to trade McKee to the very team it’s about to face.
McKee has already been part of trade chatter for years, and he has previously been linked to the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints.
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