Bengals Send Eagles an Offer They Can’t Refuse for QB Tanner McKee Amid Burrow Injury Crisis

Cincinnati, OH – September 15, 2025

With Joe Burrow sidelined for an estimated three months, the Cincinnati Bengals are urgently exploring options to stabilize their quarterback room. The team refuses to let their Super Bowl window close without a fight.

Jake Browning has been a formidable backup and kept the offense serviceable in spurts, but Cincinnati knows how fragile a season can be. Adding another proven option like Tanner McKee

could provide both security and depth.

That urgency has led to an aggressive push. League sources confirm the Bengals have sent the Philadelphia Eagles an offer to acquire McKee.

The proposed deal would send a

second-round and fourth-round pick to Philadelphia, while the Eagles would ship McKee and a sixth-round pick to Cincinnati. It’s a steep price — but one the Bengals believe is necessary to keep their playoff hopes alive.

McKee, drafted in 2023 out of Stanford, has steadily developed into a reliable backup behind Jalen Hurts. His arm strength and composure have drawn praise from coaches, who view him as a hidden gem on one of the league’s most complete rosters.

The decision now falls to Howie Roseman, who must weigh the value of draft capital against the risk of weakening Hurts’ safety net. “You never want to leave yourself thin at quarterback,”

one insider said. “But a second-round pick is serious value for a backup you might never need.”

For the Bengals, the move would send a clear message: this team isn’t waiting around for Burrow. Surrounded by stars like Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, they want a steady hand to keep the offense afloat until QB1 returns.

No final decision has been made, but one thing is certain — this is a high-stakes September gamble, the kind of deal that could define both franchises’ seasons.