Jets Eyeing Eagles, Texans QBs With Justin Fields on Hot Seat

The New York Jets' quarterback room is completely up in the air and it sounds like the franchise may be eyeing the trade market to solve it for the 2026 season.

Tony Pauline of EssentiallySports reported on Tuesday that the Jets are "bargain hunting" and two names that "keep entering the conversation" are Tanner McKee of the Philadelphia Eagles and Davis Mills of the Houston Texans.

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"The New York Jets are officially bargain hunting at quarterback, according to league sources," Pauline wrote. "The Jets are learning from last year’s high-priced quarterback gamble, and sources indicate their new trade target list looks very different, while two AFC rivals are preparing to break the bank for a top wideout. ... After last year’s failure at quarterback, the Jets are once again in the market for a starting signal caller to compete with or replace Justin Fields. Much of the narrative outside the league has centered around the team potentially making a trade for Kyler Murray.

The Jets need to address the QB room

Jan 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee (16) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"Yet people in the league tell me if general manager Darren Mougey gets his way, the Jets will look to bring in a less-expensive signal caller, and two names keep entering the conversation: Tanner McKee and Davis Mills. Both are Stanford graduates who backed up big-name quarterbacks, and each player is in the final year of their contracts, which means the Jets would have to swing a trade to bring either into the franchise."

This isn't the first time that either McKee or Mills have been mentioned as potential options for New York. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah mentioned both of them while recently speaking to the media ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine.

McKee and Mills fit the Frank Reich mold. Both are tall pocket-passers and are pretty young. McKee is just 25 years old and Mills is 27 years old. Both are behind established starting quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts and CJ Stroud. Mills has more experience. He has 29 starts under his belt and has played in 44 games overall. Both are under contract for just one more season.

If the Jets had to choose between the two, arguably McKee would be more interesting. He's cheaper and will make just over $1 million in 2026. He only has two starts under his belt as well and went 1-1 in them, but has shown promise to move the ball down the field in those two starts as well as in the preseason.

The Eagles are never afraid to make a deal. Mills has been around the block for a while. You know pretty much what you're getting with him. With McKee, there are more question marks but arguably a higher ceiling as well.

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